Jersey Girls
by Onlyndreams145
Summary: Behind every great man is a woman. These are the women who loved and lost them repeatedly; each of them in love with a Season. Tommy/OC Nick/OC Mary/Frankie/Loraine Bob/OC
1. Magic (Joyce)

**this is play based and written just for fun sooo... no one kill me, I will be flipping back and forth between narrators like the film and chapter titles will be songs I thought fit. reviews are much appreciated**

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**Joyce**

I wasn't from a rough neighborhood, I was from a quiet suburbia in Monterey; dad was a slick car salesman, mom was a trophy wife and I was a shoeing valedictorian for the class of 53. It was a great life; had a beautiful ocean view and we were only a drive away from an amusement park on a beach. Life was a Doris Day movie and I myself was Doris Day.

But all that changed with a wrong turn of the stirring wheel. It was a three car accident with only four survivors, neither of my parents were one of them. I was 16. I could have stayed on my own in our pink tract home with white trim but the law nixed it, legally I was required to live with my godparents in New Jersey, the Malona's who I had never met in my life but had been friends with my dad until he moved in the 30s.

So I packed my Chantilly dresses, my Chubby Checker records and a bottle of Bubble Up just in case they didn't have any in Jersey. I traded in my goody-goody world to become the equivalent of Cinderella in the Bronx. The neighborhood my godparents lived in was strictly apartments. I remember wondering if it was just one giant house or a really, really ugly brick mansion. I knocked very hesitantly on the door as dogs barked from lord knows were. People began to gather behind me and point and stare making me knock more, wanting to get in. the door opened as much as the chain bolt would allow and a raspy voice came from within. "We don't want no girl scout cookies." The door shut promptly, resulting in laughter from my growing audience, I turned and gave them a tentative smile and wave before knocking again. "We don't want whatever you're sellin little girl."

"I'm not selling anything mister and misses Malona , I'm your goddaughter." I bit my lip before continuing. "Joyce Giordano!"

At this the door swung open with a bang and a tower of a man stood before me holding his hands a few inches apart. "Joycie? Little Joycie?" I nodded at his excited recognitions, happily he pointed a finger at me. "your father, your father sent me pictures of you when you were still a bambino! Look at you huh, look how pretty you are Joycie. The prettiest girl- hey Gina, Gina come see who it is!" I picked up my suitcases and followed him into a smoke filled house straight to the kitchen were a lady stood over a steaming pot.

"Gina, guess who this is!" boomed mister Malona throwing his arm around me. "I dunno." The woman replied. "Shirley Temple."

"Shirley Temple, I'll give you Shirley Temple! No Gina, its Joyce, Anton's girl!"

"Joyce?" she shrilled. "Baby Joyce!" she threw herself towards me kissing and cupping my face, saying a few things in Italian before holding me at arms-length. "Look at you! You're so skinny! Are you sick? So thin. Does your mama not feed you? So skinny Joyce, so skinny!" she pushed me down into a chair dishing up a mountain of spaghetti. "Oh no thank you, I just ate." I smiled politely. "I'll get the pictures." Said Mister Malona leaving.

"Eat Joyce eat! Get healthy!" ordered Gina pointed to my food.

"I'm not sick Mrs. Malona, but my parents-"

"Ah yes, where is that son of a bitch Aton and your mother?"

Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes, though I fought it with all I had. Gina dropped her wooden spoon in sudden shock and understanding. She cradled my head to her chest and smoothed my hair, whispering words of comfort.

I explained everything to them over a quiet dinner, somewhat surprised that they didn't receive a letter or anything but they were more than happy to take me in. they couldn't have kids of their own so I was a welcomed blessing, my room was basically a closet with a bed stuffed inside and a window. My godparents were very kind if not a little loud. But they had one request and that was to get a job so my mind wasn't idle and I could help bring income in; it was summer so there was no school to enroll in yet.

The next day comes around and I'm on a job hunt. I walked down the street in a white blouse and black circle skirt with pink roses in the pattern, my strawberry-blonde hair swinging in a ponytail on the back of my head. I folded my hands as I walked singing Magic quietly as I searched for a help wanted sign anywhere I could happen to find one. Suddenly the sound of my own footsteps began to multiply and I looked uneasily over my shoulder to see a group of girls start to follow me. I gave them a smile but got nothing in return; they all either seemed to be chowing gum or smoking. They still followed me with a steady gate, laughing.

"Lovely morning." I finally said uneasily as one of the taller ones managed to slink up next to me. she gave a nod and a red lipped grin. There was silence again as another girl appeared at my other side blocking me in. I cleared my throat nervously before turning to the brunette to my left. "Say do you know where a gal can get a summer job around here?"

"There ain't none." She replied before spitting her gum on the sidewalk. "Less you wanna stand on the corner and be some guidos piece of ass."

A blush suddenly spread across my face; I had never heard anyone talk that way, especially not a girl to another girl. "Golly!" I stated with wide eyes. "Who would want that?" the group laughed again.

"Listen to this putts!" snickered the tall brunette beside me before throwing an arm around my shoulder drawing me near, she smelt heavily of perfume and gin, face pretty framed by dark curls and heavily made up. "Listen stugots, you cant go lookin like you look and usin words like golly."

"The guys here will eat you alive." Added the blonde next to me puffing out a cloud of smoke. "You're a walkin sex target. An easy lay, you know, a leg spreader!"

I gasp as my hand flew up to my lips; this was definitely nothing I had ever heard. "Jeepers! I don't want to make that impression."

"Then doll it down!" instructed the brunette. "Don't fold your hand when you walk, walk with a stride that says, I'm me don't like it? Go take a flyin leap." She showed me how with a strut. "Like this?" I asked mimicking.

"Yeah! That's it!"

"Thanks for the advice." I said to the sleek brunette before she pulled me into an ally and pinned me against a wall so hard that my head spun from the sudden bash."

"Don't ever mock the way I walk again! Next time I see you alone, you're dead" she warned before leaving me. I learned later that her name was Mary and never to talk to her again.

I continued my job search when suddenly I bumped into something firm. "Ay stugots what the fu-" a young man turned to me and stopped in mid-sentence seeing me shrink back. "Sorry." I whispered. He smiled, he was tall and kind of goofy looking holding two brown bags of groceries. "Nah don't be. I was in the middle of the walkway. You aint sore are you?"

"No, I'm not hurt." I smiled.

"No I mean sore, sore. Like offended that I used such language." I shook my head and he laughed. "Swell, swell you got a name sweetheart?"

"Joyce." I smiled before pointing to his bags. "Need some help with that?" I asked, he nodded passing one over to me. "If your not doin anything, I'm just taking them over to the diner over there I'll give you the lighter bag.'

We walked over there and talked; I explained my current situation and he told me that his name was Nick Macioci and because I did him a favor he would do me one. I got a job at Mel's diner only 15 minutes later as a waitress, making a little less than 15 dollars a day. Because of one little favor that anyone could have done Nick Macioci took me under his wing. Every morning he would come to the diner for breakfast and say to me. "Joycie, if any mama-lucs come to bother you come tell your big brother Nicki and I'll roughen them up." … little did I know I would have to take him up on it later.

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	2. So Square (Cynthia)

**Cynthia**

That's Joycie for you! Poor orphan kid. When Nick, my husband Nick brought her to me it was like he found a lost puppy or somethin. I knew this chick wasn't gonna be a threat so I says to Nicki, I says to Nicki "What the hell" so I gave the kid a job at my father's diner.

Quick study; she knew the register in about two seconds, cute kid too. Strawberry blonde 5'2 and as baby faced as they come, pure as snow and sweet as all American apple pie. We knew that was gonna cause Joycie a mass amount of trouble later either with Mary and her gang or one of the sleaze balls.

Nick and I did our best to protect the kid; he'd walk her to and from work I watched over her at work and the rest of the night she was with her godparents. But Nicki and I… we could only do so much, after all Nicki had married me after he knocked me up junior year so keepin this kid a virgin was not something you would expect from us.

Aside from the fact we liked her, she was a hell of a worker! This girl, she could do ten things at once and customer service, she'd bend over backwards if you asked her. this was great because the place was goin to hell in a hand basket and she brought back some business, some! But not much; that was until Gyp DeCarlo came in one mornin and Joycie waited on him. Now that was a nail biting morning! I mean a lot of people had it out for Joyce because she was so goody-goody, nice Nelly and that can get you killed in Jersey if you do it to the wrong people on the wrong days at the wrong time.

Poor Joyce was so clueless that she asked me why a man coming to the diner would dress so nice. I watched her from next to the Jukebox nervously, she approach the mobster with that dopey smile on her lips. "Oh lord." I prayed crossing myself. "Help her."

I watched and watched, Gyp had no expression which was normal, Joycie did her usual aim to please act and by the time the check came round with a move of his head he told his goons to take a hike and my heart dropped. "he's gonna kill her!" I think in a panic covering my mouth. But, Gyp finally smiled and gestured for Joyce to sit across from him and they started talkin, he loved the little putts! And finally business started to boom all because of little orphan Joycie!

So we finally got enough money to hire busboys, dish washers and a whole gaggle of young pretty waitresses; on roller-skates even. We had so much dough raking in my dad took an early retirement and left the joint to me! Naturally, Joycie was Gyp's waitress of choice. But after a few months of mourning her parents and with all the new action in the diner Joycie started to become a little restless.

"I think I need a new look." She says to me.

"Why?" I ask. "People love the fresh faced baby doll look."

"You mean older people Cynthia." She sighed cleaning off the breakfast nook before looking back at a waitress who was being flirted with. "No one ever looks at me that way, besides Mary and her girls would still like to kick my ass five ways to Sunday, and its only gotten worse since Gyp and I cant take being an outcast anymore!"

"So you wanna whore around like the other idiots around here? Joyce honey, you're the kinda girl that a guy brings home to mama, a regular gem, don't give that up! One day you are gonna land a millionaire and get the hell back out of Jersey, you could buy Mary and all of her goons."

Joyce put a hand to her temple and made her way over to the supply room, letting her hand linger on the nob. "No I don't want to whore around I just want more of a social life then what I have in the diner. I mean between Nick and you babysitting me all the time, I never have the capability to meet anyone on my own."

"Who do you need to meet?" I questioned animatedly. "Ask Gyp; he'll introduce you to anyone you want."

Joycie laughed and shook her head. "No, I mean, see Jersey for what it is; see the Jersey my dad grew up in before Monterey and my mom and me!"

I pursed my lips and relented. "Alright, you wanna try dating a stugots from Jersey ok! But I pick the date and it will be chaperoned! That is the only way your godparents are gonna let you date."

"So…" she mused. "it's a blind date?"

"Nah, he wont be blind."

At this she laughed. "no, I mean I wont know who it is." She bit her lip in disapontment

I put my hands on my hips. "Honey, its not like your old lady is pickin the date, its me! the gal who landed good-lookin Nick! Have I ever let you down?"…

I did let her down that night; the night of the date, not due to my own fault of course. We had it all set; it was goin to be a double date, me, Nicki, Joyce and one of the bus boys Chino! And I was really lookin forward to it too, I mean it wasn't often that Nick and I get to go out anymore but of course as soon as we start headin out our son, Junior, comes out of his room and throws up. Stomach bug, so we call the babysitter tell her not to come. I need to stay home cause I'm mom and I need Nicki to stay home and be my errand boy. So I leave it to Nick to find another chaperon for Joyce,…. Big mistake!

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**hope you like it**


	3. That's Amore (Joyce)

**Joyce**

My great, great grandpa came from Sicily so I guess our draw to danger and trying new things came naturally; though it was fading by generation; but what could I say, it was a beautiful night to try to start dating and socializing, even though it was still with someone from the diner and Nick and Cynthia were supervising, it was still a step.

I sat in my room and looked at my face; I remember because, I had snuck some red lipstick pass my godmother and tried it on, and while it looked great on other girls, it made me look clowny so hastily I wiped it off before sitting in the dark listening to a Dean Martin record, brushing my hair nervously.

"Ay Joycie!" I jumped at the sound of Chino's nasally voice drifting up to my room from the street, I rushed to my window and popped my head out. "I'll be right down Chino." I said. I climbed out of the window and let the apartment ladder fall with a light clank to the pavement and made my way down. When I got down to the last little bit of the ladder Chino grasped my hips and helped me down; only when I looked back at the car Chino was leaning against it star-gazing and there was a blonde girl in the car, not Cynthia. I turned swiftly and was met with maybe the most handsome face anyone could possibly dream of. My mouth fell open a bit at his almost offputtingly white, straight smile. He had the best of both southern and eastern Italy; he had the dark skin and meticulously slicked back dark hair but with Sinatra blue eyes. He was a little older than Chino and I and it showed in the best way, it made his features more strong, more masculine.

"Marone." He said in a low voice slightly annoyed, with a smoothness equivalent to silk despite the broken Jersey accent. "Chino come say hi to your girl!"

Chino only raised his hand and grunted. The man turned to me with a pitiful look. Then he went over grabbing Chino by the back of the neck and dragged him roughly towards me, I stared as he pushed Chino towards me. "Say hello Chino."

"Ok ok!" Chino flinched away from the man who held a satisfied grin on his lips. "Heya." Chino murmured rubbing the back of his neck. "Hi Chino." I managed only with a slight giggle. Chino stood there awkwardly and our chaperon leant into him. "Tell her she looks nice."

"What?"

"Tell the girl she looks nice." At this I tried not to start laughing again. Chino only shrugged. "Uh, you look nice Joyce, real classy, I guess."

I smiled and clicked my tongue. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

A sudden burst of laughter came from our chaperon as he slapped Chino on the back. "You got a funny one Chino, you got a funny one."

Chino didn't smile, and I felt a little bad so I touched his arm and thanked him for the compliment sincerely. He nodded and went back to the car, leaving the chaperon and I alone again. I looked back up at my bedroom window. "I left my record player on." I stated.

"No worries, I don't think anyone will mind." We then smiled at each other and started towards the car.

"First date?" our chaperon asked me giving me a sideways glance.

"With Chino or in general?"

"in general."

I shook my head. "I went on three or four dates in Monterey before I moved here; just to get a soda and stuff, never dinner."

"Ah so you're the doll from Monterey. I've been hearin bout you. Isn't your name Joyce or somethin?"

I shrugged not able to hide my growing smile. "Yeah." He grinned again. "Pretty name, I like your accent too, its real cute."

This statement made me think; here I was thinking everyone else talked differently when in truth it was me. "Do you have a name?" I asked. "or should I just call you chaperon?"

"The names Tommy." He stated proudly. "Tommy Devito at your service. Hand to God if you need anything tonight just call my name." he put his hand up to the sky before opening the car door for me to get in, we exchanged a smile and I got in next to Chino.


	4. Fools Rush In (Cynthia)

**Cynthia**

So there I was washin sheets, pajamas and anything else little Nick had barfed on. Nick and I had a few little tiffs with how many times I had made him go to the store. Joyce wasn't a second thought until things settle down. When Nick told me who our replacements were, I didn't bat an eye but I should have, cause the kid was fallin and hard.

I knew Chino had no real social skills and that's why I picked him, so Joyce could get this dumb dating idea outta her head and focus on work and school when it came round to it. What I didn't expect to happen was the chaperony and the chaperon to become sweet on each other.

I mean I heard from one of my friends later on that, that night Tommy was laying the charm on thick to little Joycie, especially after Chino lost interest and started wanderin about the room and Tommys girl got so shitfaced she passed out, it was hot and heavy from then on out.

He pulled her to the dance floor and pinned her against him gently and she smiled. "I cant believe our parents use to pick on each other at school." Joycie giggled looking into his eyes.

Tommy nodded. "My father said that Antonio Giordano,... meanest son of a bitch he ever met, my hand to God."

"Dad did have a bit of a mean streak." She admitted, smiling even more. "You know one time he got so mad he broke my mother's egg timer, we didn't have eggs for a week as his punishment," she sighed, reminiscing. "My parents were good people Tommy."

"I can only imagine." He stated softly, pulling her even closer if that were even possible. "I'm sorry you had to lose them so tragically."

Tommy recognized the song after a moment of listenin as Glen Miller's instrumental version of Fools Rush In and began to sing a few bars of Sinatra's version lowly, so only they two could hear it.

"Fools rush in where wise men never go  
But wise men never fall in love  
So how are they to know"

Joyce blushed and whispered softly through the music. "You're a singer?" her eyes didn't leave anyway of betrayin her growin infatuation.

"Guitarist actually." He corrected spinning her out and then back into him. "You should come hear my band sometime, The Variety Trio."

"That's the band Nicks' in!" she smiled. "I've been meaning to see him play."

"Well, now you have two reasons to come see us, Nicki and Tommy and the other Devito boy, my brother Nick. Alotta Nicks." Tommy laughed at his own joke meeting her eyes again. "If you come, I promise I'll play extra good, hand to God."

Joyce blushed again and looked down at her feet, and then at the girl who was asleep at their table. "Are you sure your girl wont mind us dancing together."

"Shes not my girl." He confessed. "Shes an alcoholic and that's not really for me. there are two types of girls Joycie, type A and type B. Type A lets you get into their panties real easy no strings attached, Type B makes you spend a lot of dough to keep em happy."

"What type am I?" Joyce questioned innocently.

"You Joycie are the most dangerous of them all." He teased. "You are the type that makes a guy feel like a kid, he wants to wrap you up and take you home in a box and play with you later, a real doll."

Joycie blushed at this and pulled away slightly. "Lets get outta here." Suggested Tommy nodding his head towards the door. "Lets go get an ice cream soda or somthin."

"ok."

He was used to buying his girls drinks, like hard liquor drinks and layin them up later but Joycie was under age so they actually did get an ice cream soda! For the first time in his life perhaps, he was a gentleman, took her home on time, didn't lay a hand on her but that was only the beginning. Joycie was still playin with fire.

Of course no one knew they were seein each other; she kept it real hush-hush because of the four year age difference, or so Joyce thought. And he of course never told her about the misses or any of his other girls, Even though they were tryin be friends.

She could see was their happiness, nothin else. There were signs; like, she would ask Nick if she could go with him to band rehearsals; Tommy would act normal; like he didn't notice her there, Joyce would do the same but then Tommy would rush out to his car speed off to some street and Joycie would run to meet him. And she would sing all the time Destiny, it went something like

"You are my destiny  
You share my reverie  
You're more than life to me  
That's what you are"

Anyway, ccording to Joyce years later he never touched her; maybe because he felt sorry for her, maybe cause he thought she would be too easy, I dunno, but it was because of that, that she fell head over heels, because he was flawed and real. The reality of him drew her and his flaws is what made her care for him. She thought she could save him.

One night at Strands Night Club, Joyce came in to see Tommy at a table, head hung over as he raked his hand through his dark hair; she already knew what was wrong, his horse had lost at the racetrack. They were alone in the club and she stood a few feet behind him biting her lip and holding an envelope with her paycheck in it, cashed into small bills just how she knew he liked it.

"Tommy." She managed to say through the stillness, when he faced her he stood up. "Joycie." He stated in surprise. "Baby doll, what are you doing here? Its past your curfew."

She lowered her eyes and stepped close to him, her eyes poured into his undoubtedly. "I heard about the race, I had Chino keep me posted."

"it was an old horse I shouldn't have bet on it"

"But you did." Joyce concluded. "and I know you are sore for money, the band hardly makes enough as it is and what with us going to the drive-in Friday and all."

"Hey, hey, hey forget about the drive-in that was my pleasure." He intervened before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"But I don't want to forget it." She said softly. "You have been such a good friend to me,…" she trailed off before clearing her throat and handing him the envelope. "Here, it should pay off most of what you owe."

It took a moment for what was happening to register in his mind and when it did he tried to hand it back as if it were poisoned. "No, no!" he protested. "this is yours. This is yours Joycie, you earned it, no."

"Just take it."

"No, please, Joyce."

"Tommy!" she handed it back and he let it fall to the floor before gripping her shoulders. "Dont do this to me Joyce. Please, dont take away my pride, my manhood by givin me money. I can take havin my balls busted from this chick and that chick but not from you, not from you Joyce." He turned sharply.

"Why not from me?" she asked quietly. "Tell me."

He froze and breathed shallow. "Don't." he warned.

"Tell me." she begged going to touch his shoulder, but he jerked away. "il mio stupido auto che vogliono!" he hissed. "You're a kid, stop tryin to trick me into thinkin otherwise!" and with this he stormed out. Joyce picked up the envelope and sat down at a table dejectedly when he suddenly came storming back in flingin open the door. "You dont have a ride home?" he boomed more frustrated with himself than anything.

Joyce shook her head with a sigh. "Chino dropped me off, I told him you would take me since I'm not old enough to drive." She looked at him with a soft look of obviousness as he threw his hands up in defeat. "Get in the car!"

I guess it would have been confusin as hell for poor Tommy; he had never been just friends with a girl before and Joyce with her obvious crush… he more treated her like a kid despite it.

But all that changed after Tommy, his brother and this kid named Frankie tried to rob Fits' Jewelry, Joyce did something unheard of for a suburban girl. Tommy climbed to her window and knocked much to her surprise, she put down her book and helped him inside.

"Jeepers Tommy its 10:00 at night! What are you doing here? You cant be here!" she warned closing the robe to her nightgown. "Joycie, I'm in trouble!" he glanced out her window as sirens began to sound before pullin her aside.

"You gotta hide me Joyce."

"Tommy what did you do?" she questioned giving him a sideways glance of curiosity as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I tried to knock off Fits." He admitted ashamedly. "I needed the cash."

Joyce put her hand to her lips and stepped towards him ready to give him a lecture but stopped herself at the sight of his blue eyes pleading to her in the moonlight, she turned her cheek; both physically and figuratively. "That was awful stupid of you Tommy." She breathed, closing her eyes. "I shouldnt be helping you and I could get in a lot of trouble for this, you're a crook. But you are also my friend and…" she paused and met his gaze; musterin up all her courage, speakin with her full heart. "and I love you…. I love you very much."

Sadly, old numb-nuts mistook this version of "I love you" with the same version that a grandmother would say, or a guy to another guy. "Yeah Joycie I love you too, your my main girl, my doll, a real swell friend. So can I hide here or not?"

Hurt, she nodded and made a bed for him on the floor, to which he nestled into straight off with his hands behind his head; Joyce felt an unbelievable mix of emotions; guilt, fear, sadness, love you name it. She hid a criminal; which was against all her morals. So she asked for a favor in return.

"Tommy." She said quietly gazing at him as he lay on the floor half asleep. "My parent's 20th wedding anniversary is in two days and its going to be a hard day for me because my dad use to save up to take us out to a nice dinner and sometimes a show and…I don't want to be alone that night. So the diner closes at eight and I lock up that night, thought we'd have dinner."

"Sure, whatever you want kid." He murmured tiredly.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now go to sleep."

Well… Stugotz here broke his promise! Poor kid; had a candlelight dinner planned with the jukebox playing. She even went to the trouble of deep frying mozzarella sticks burning her fingers. 8:00 no Tommy, 8:45 no Tommy, quarter to eleven still no Tommy. Joyce got worried looked him up in the phone book, called his house and his wife answers and they talk. Deana Devito tells her that he's out with one of his lady friends at the roller rink and that she had heard about her husband's "little kid charity case". Well, this just shattered Joyce's little heart. To add insult to injury "I love how you love me" was playing in the background.

After cryin a little, Joyce decided it would be a good idea to torture herself by looking in the roller rink window. Tommy was there alright; mackin on another girl. A wife and a mistress and whatever she was to him…. It was just too much.

So when officer Mike arrested Tommy for the attempted Fits' heist the next day and Tommy said Joyce Giordano was his alibi, the office just laughed as he handcuffed Tommy and said "Joyce Giordano was the one who ratted you out pal!"


	5. Apple of my Eye (Joyce)

**Joyce**

So that was the end of Tommy and I for a time. I did feel bad for what I did; I mean Nick lost the extra income the band provided and Tommy….well…. he got six months in Rahway. But were Nick and Tommy lost, Cynthia and I gained. Me, I was able to focus on my studies and work. Cynthia got her husband back for a few evenings. I swear they had a love just like on I Love Lucy. They were imperfectly perfect for each other. Aside from that I spent more time at their house then my godparents.

I remember one time sitting in their kitchen at their small table that only seated two but they actually crammed three and a highchair at. Nick was feeding junior his snack, Cynthia was at the stove, slaving over some pasta and I was doing my arithmetic homework.

"Baby, have you seen the cost of meat?" Nick asked holding a spoonful of mushed carrots. "A dollar a pound! Swear to God nickel hear dime there and boom your broke."

"its this Eisenhower character!" Reasoned Cynthia. "Lazy do-nothing bum! Dunno what he's doing. I swear an Italian president is what we need."

"A catholic president?" I sighed, only half way engaged in the conversation. "That will be the day. We may as well just put the pope in office."

Nick glared hard at me over his son's cooing and grabbing for the spoon. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

I dropped my pencil to the red and white checked table cloth and met his raised eyebrow. "My mother was a Christian of course I think a catholic president is a bad idea." I said more teasingly than anything else. "Stand up, sit down, kneel; if the country ever needs exercise then yeah bring on the catholic masses, otherwise…."

"Enough politics you two huh." Intervened Cynthia setting our dinners down before us. "Looks great angel." Said Nicki kissing his wife on the cheek and she rubbed his chest sensual with her finger. "Anything for my sexy baritone baby."

"Gah." I spat. "Cant you wait till me and junior are out of the room at least?"

This only made Nick draw his wife affectionately near, looking down at her with nothing but complete and utter love as he towered over her small petite form. So much love in fact, that they were likely to burst. "What can I say she's the apple of my eye-eye-eye." He sang the last note and Cynthia laughed.

At that moment the phone rang and I got up to get it. "Its for me. it'll be Castelluccio checking on the essay. We teamed up on Mrs. Cantor's science project; he's squeamish with a pen and paper and I'm squeamish with anything involving dead reptiles. Don't forget you're taking me to dye my hair tomorrow Cynthia." I went into the hall and answered the phone. "Hey Frankie, whats shakin?"

From the hall I watched the Massi family have dinner, it was a scene that no one could help but smile at. They seemed so happy, so functional. Even more so than my stereotypical urban family was. Nicki had this thing; he wanted to start his own band with his wife front and center. "Not that she has a great voice" he told me. "I just want the world to love her as much as I do"

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**yep Joyce turned on Tommy :p**


	6. Sunday Kind of Love (Cynthia)

**Cynthia **

I walked about the room frantically lookin for my other pearl earring. "Emergency numbers are in the second kitchen drawer and the fire extinguisher is under the sink. You got that? Under the sink!"

She gave me that look like I was loopy or somethin, eyebrow arched as she balanced baby Nick on her hip. "Cynthia, I practically live here. I already know all this." Joyce reminded handing me the pearl earring that had been resting on the vanity the whole time I was lookin. "Yeah, well you can never be too sure."

"Yes." She countered rolling her eyes. "You never know when I might have a sudden burst of dementia." She then smirked. "Who are you going with again?"

I took her serious for a moment, a look of concern crossing my face before I shook it off with a laugh. "Screwball." I teased. I then looked myself over in the mirror at various angles, left, right, left and then left again. It was a nice get-up; pink synch belt, frilly and flowery; something I hadn't attempted to wear since I had a kid. "I met Nicki in this dress." I sighed dreamily. "I had to take it out a bit. Do you think he'll remember?"

"I doubt it, most of the time he cant remember where he put his keys."

"True." I admit just as Nick enters, he does a double take of Joycie as he had normally done since she had decided to dye it brunette six months previous. "Gah!" he chokes ruffling her hair. "I just cant get use to this dark hair."

"You always say that Nick, and you always hate it when it starts fading back to blonde." She returns dodging another ruffle attack.

"I'm a man who knows what he likes." Nick smiles just as his big brown eyes cast themselves on me; I put my hands on my hips like a trophy or a model and that adorable smile widened as he took my hands in his. "Pretty mama!" he woots spinning me around. "Am I not the luckiest man in the world? I ask ya Joyce, am I not the luckiest fella?"

"You sure are Nick." She agrees bouncing Junior. Nick gives that dopy grin again before fishing in his wallet and handing her a few bills. "Go see a man about a cream soda or somethin while we're gone." He instructs.

"Nick." Joyce retorts. "I have my own money, I can take little Nick out-" but he only puts it back in her hands. "Shut up and take it, you don't wanna use it to take junior out use it to get a record or somethin."

I was ever in awe of his kindness. We said our goodbyes and set off for the movies. I couldn't remember how long it had been since we had been a date, or even why it had been so long. Marriage, I guess. But I was really excited. On the way to the theatre I says to Nicki that I wanna expand our family, cause now we had extra help with Joyce around. Nick molls the idea around in his head a second and ultimately decides that yeah another kid could work or at least tryin to make one would.

Life was lookin pretty good, or it was until we saw that damn Castelluccio all put-out, kickin a can up the street all alone. Well since I married Saint Nick here, he pulls over and lets Frankie in the car; and the next thing I know I'm getting assaulted by a drunk nun in a church! A church! Can you believe that? Only my husband would blow off his wife, in front of his wife; for Frankie to have the acoustics of a big room! Not that I didn't enjoy watching Nick doo-wop to Sunday Kind Of Love, it was our song but still! We had just finished talkin about expandin our family and he manages to get himself arrested for breaking into a church!

"Well, I guess this is goodnight Nicki." I snarl as officer Stanley drags my husband away as he tells Frankie to do his exercises; not a word to his wife just tell the kid to keep his voice tuned. "At least I know where your hands are gonna be." I conclude under my breath and more to myself. Then I turn my attention to Castelluccio who spoke soft apologies to me and something inside of me told me, right then and there, that I was going to have real cause to hate this kid someday.

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**I love this part of the show! I think her dress is so pretty in the film**

**as always reviews are loved**


	7. Its Not for Me to Say (Joyce)

**Joyce**

The goal was to avoid Tommy at all costs; I knew he would never physically harm me; but he had a tongue like a razor and he had enough of my soul to throw back in my face easily. I would have rather taken a thousand ass kickings from Mary then one verbal beating from Tommy. In case you didn't know Italians do not take too kindly to being snitched on, especially not from little suburban girls like me, or so I was told. I didn't mean to, I don't even think I really wanted to but I was young and at the time it felt right. But I knew Tommy, or any other logical person would never see it that way.

Just keep your distance and avoid contact; that was the plan. And it would have worked if I hadn't lost my unofficial transcripts and test scorers the night before I was supposed to drive over and meet with one of the counselors from NY University. It had taken forever to get any kind of appointment even so many months in advance; at the time it had seemed like a life or death engagement.

When it wasn't in the apple shaped cookie jar on top of the fridge where I had kept all important documents I knew Cynthia must have moved it when she paid the bills. So, I tore up every other possible place she could have left it and no such luck.

So, I call Strands where I knew Cynthia would be and who should pick up the phone but the coat check girl, one of Tommy's…more vocal girlfriends.

"Hello Strands night club. Marian speakin how may I help yous?"

I sucked in a breath, I knew my voice may be easily recognized but I was in too much of a panic to care. "Yes, hello is Cynthia Massi there?"

"She is, may I ask whos speakin so I can tell her who wants her?"

I bit my lip before admitting "Joyce Giordano…. Please this is very import-"

"Yous is the bitch that ratted out Tommy!" she shrilled into the phone, so much so that I had to hold the phone away from my ear, I sighed putting the phone back to my ear. "Yes I am well aware of what I did and not very proud of it. Now, can you please put Cynthia Massi on the phone." I manage to say calmly.

"Come and get her yourself you two timin, back-stabbin slut!" and then there was nothing but a dial tone. I hung up and kicked the wall in frustration; all I wanted to do was get my transcripts! No drama, no complications, just find out where my freaking scores and transcripts were so I could go to New York and put Tommy behind me.

I changed out of my pajamas into a blue cocktail dress and heels, throwing on some makeup and pulling my hair into a ponytail, debating whether to bother with jewelry or not. I had no desire to go, no desire to ruin his welcome home party by being there. With a sprits of perfume I was regretfully on my way.

I stood in the entry of the club and scanned the room for Cynthia and Tommy. My eyes met with that of Gyp DeCarlo's. he raised an eyebrow in confusion and he motioned for me to come in. "I can't." I mouthed to him.

Gyp shrugged as if to ask why. I knew I couldn't explain it from a far so I mothed to him again. "Where's Cynthia?"

Gyp pointed to her in the corner of the opposite side of the room and then we looked at Tommy talking to Mary and Frankie at the bar; Tommy had a view of the entire room at his vantage point. I bit my lip in defeat as Gyp removed himself from his table and approached me handing me his drink with a sudden look of understanding. "Go past the stage and stay close to the wall." he instructed in my ear. "The high sign is me playin with my tie, the drink is for your nerves and if he sees you and I cant get to him be prepared to run."

I nodded and took a sip of the scotch executing Gyp's plan as the liquor stung my throat. When I crossed the room to Cynthia her eyes widened in shock. "You got some balls comin here." She stated. "You better hope there brass!"

"I called, no one would give me to you!" I exclaimed. "I cant find my transcripts!"

Little did I know that Gyp was practically doing anything he could to get my attention even some bird calls and jumping up and down, it was quite a sight, I would hear later. Tommy had seen me, and instantaneously set his drink down making his way over with a solid expression on his features.

"Here they are!" Cynthia announced pulling out the things I needed from her purse. "I must have mistook them for bills." I took them gratefully just as a funny expression crossed her face, she pointed behind me and said. "Look at Gyp dancin, jumpin around like a kid!"

Gyp? Dancing? Uh oh! It then occurred to me that I had missed the high sign. I turned sharply on my heel only to spill what was left of the scotch on someone, no, not someone,….him! I had missed the high sign by a longshot. All I could do was gasp and put my hand up to my lips,… and pray.

"Aye Marone!" he swore, holding his now wet sweater vest away from his body, trying to dry it with a napkin. I was scared stiff, all I could do was stare. He wiped and wiped before he looked at me looking at him. "Lucky for me I have a change of clothes in the car."

"I'm so sorry." I finally choked out. He started towards the exit and I just was baffled by fate, scared out of my mind; only getting more terrified when he turned around and took my hand. "Well, don't just stand there." He stated dragging me along behind him. Finally we were outside by his car; his demeanor frighteningly calm as he left me waiting by the trunk starting his car to turn on the radio. "Alone at last."

"Alone at last." I repeated shakily, I could feel my knees start to give from the anticipation, my stomach churning. Coolly, he popped open the trunk and disregarded his two shirts leaving only a white undershirt but I was so lost in my own nightmarish world of "what is he going to do to me?" that I didn't notice. He smiled a little. "Like what you see?"

"What?" It snapped me back to reality and I saw him leaning against car with his new shirt around his wrists, his arms and body were impeccably strong and fit and flawless, giving me a mix of additional fear and fascination.

He still held that teasing smile. "You were staring." He laughed pulling his new sweater over his head. I clasp my hands behind my back as he sat against his trunk with an indignant look. "You wanna know what I thought about all these months?" he questioned.

Bravely I nodded looking back to the club for any sign of help. I didn't want to know, I didn't.

"Orange cream sodas."

I blink in surprise.

"Long walks. Drive-in movies. Swimmin in the lake and using that rope to swing into the water." He continues and looks up at the sky. "Window shoppin, not being forced to buy anything, just window shoppin. The simple things that made you happy."

I felt myself crumble a little at his words; truly, feeling the sting of what I had done. "I'm sorry." I whisper, but he doesn't hear me.

"I get girls tellin me, do this for me Tommy or buy that for me Tommy; but,… you."

He stands up and walks over to me, I found it harder to breathe as he brought a hand to my face and patted my cheek as an Italian sign of trust. "Deana told me everything, how you called the house just because you were worried, you offer me money and to pay for stuff. Ain't no girl ever done that for me before."

"Tommy-" I start.

"No just listen." He intervenes taking my hands in his. "When officer Mike told me it was you who turned me in I told him he could go f himself; that my Joyce would never hurt me that way. I says to him my Joycie, my Joycie is an angel. And you are an angel Joyce, you ain't no charity case. Why Deana would even say that I dunno."

My hand flies up to my lips in disbelief and tears of relief begin to sting my eyes. "I just figure it was Deana or your godparents or some stugotz like that. Everyone is blamin you but they don't know you like I do, they don't know what we got." He pauses. "Say somethin!" he halfway laughs.

So taken aback I can only manage a smile and he pulls me into a hug, stroking my back. "Forgive me? say we can be friends again."

Overrun with joy, relief and guilty confusion I whisper "I forgive you" into his shoulder with a couple tears, even though I knew in my heart it was the wrong sentiment, but I repeated it because it was the only thing that I could bring myself to say. "I forgive you."

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**I like how this came out, what do you think?**

**if anyone wants to know the songs and artist I used...**

**1. Magic by Doris Day**

**2. That's Amore by Dean Martin**

**3. Fools Rush in by Glenn Miller or Elvis**

**4. I love how you love my by Bobby Vinton**

**5. Its Not for Me to Say by Johnny Mathis**


	8. Bye Bye Baby (Cynthia)

**Cynthia**

Life really changed after Nick got outta Rahway. But some big things happened between Joycie and Tommy that I think are worth a mention. It's kinda funny how roles can switch. It all started three weeks after the welcome home party. It was a triple date at the bowling alley, it was Frankie and Mary, Tommy and one of his girls and Joyce had been set up with this kid named Joey who worked the pins.

"ah Tommy." Said Joey nervously rubbin the back of his neck. "You didn't tell me the date was today, I'm workin."

"Look Joey," Tommy began leading Joey towards the door to the back of the lanes. "Just take her and talk to her while you work, and don't forget I got money ridin on lanes four and eight, so you better not F this up!"

"Gee, Tommy I dunno, takin a girl to watch me work? It don't sound like much fun."

"Don't worry bout fun!" Tommy warned, threatenly steppin towards the smaller man. His blue eyes wide with fear. "Just worry bout lane four and eight, Joey, four and eight,"

Joey paused and scratched his chin. "I dunno Tommy. Don't seem right takin a girl back where I work for a first date. You pushin her off on me or somethin?"

Tommy tensed and raised his hand threateningly as Joey shrunk away. " you want an F'n smack? I'm nice enough to get you a date and you ask if I'm pushin her off on you?

"Then, why aren't you datin her?" It was an honest question. Tommy only played with the buttons on his cuff keepin his emotions at a slow boil. "What are you my mother now Joey? I answer to you bout what girls I see?" Tommy then got a glimpse out at the three teens and his girl comin in, pretty riled up.

" I'm gettin married soon so I'm droppin out, I don't see why your havin a cow." Frankie said to Joyce who was behind him and Mary behind her.

"I am not having a cow, I-"

"Who asked you anyway shit-head?" Mary intervened flaring her ruby lips.

Joycie rolled her eyes. "Christ, all I said was Frankie was good at science and there are only three months left of school! Excuse the hell out of me for opening my mouth, and don't call me shit-head! Stronza." She said the last part under her breath.

Tommy snickered at this and put a hand on her shoulder to take her over to Joey. "Rough ride over here kiddoe?"

"Mary and I in a car, for 15 minutes. What do you think?" she started. "I had to hear how the letter Y is a bullshit letter and how its confused about what it is. Its a letter Tommy! How can it be confused? Oh by the way I made some calls last night and got you booked at Atlantic City about four months out, three shows a night, about 100 dollars for each member a performance; food and drinks are included, but you can call later for more details. I figure Nick will be out of Rahway by then and-"

He grabbed her arm and stopped her. "You did all that last night, for me?"

"Well for the band. I was just looking through some ads and it turned up, so I gave it my best. It wasn't easy."

"Do you really believe in the band that much?"

Joyce smiled. "With you at the helm, I think this band could do anything. Bigger then Sinatra, my hand to God. " she laughed a little at his look of surprise of her quoting him. "I should go introduce myself to Joey." She said opening the door, touching his hand, makin sparks fly. He cleared his throat. "Heya, no more bookin things for me kay? You're makin me look bad. I'm suppose to be wearin the pants here, not you." Which was his way of sayin thank you, in a flirty kinda way.

, Joyce only smiled, and looked at his date. " Well with the way your date is looking at you, I don't think pants are necessary. Have fun bowling.".

You see, high school in Jersey had changed her, made her somewhat saucy and a lil sassy too. Her hair was brown, her clothes were tastefully shorter and tighter, she drunk sometimes, mostly beer, and smoked sometimes and valedictorian was no longer front and center in her mind, but high honors still were. Sexy and 17, as they always say.

Well he had planned to take his pin spottin money and the girl who was hangin on him whisperin how handsome he was in his ear and takin both of them home, but when Joey and Joyce decided to go bowlin themselves a few lanes over. Suddenly the money and his easy date were just a consolation prize. He knew what he really wanted…

Age old story, Boy meets girl, girl wants boy, boy wants nothing to do with girl. Girl don't want boy that way no more and suddenly,… boy is hooked.

So Nicki gets home sometime later and things are back to normal. Well one day in the mail we get a letter, it's addressed to Joyce, Nick has no idea what it is so he gives it to her.

"This came for you Joycie, were you expectin mail?" he questioned.

" No." Joyce raised an eyebrow and took the envelope from Nick, passing him the baby. Nicki watched as her baby blues scanned the paper until she froze, just froze. "Joycie, everythin ok?" he asked nervously laughin a little, but she didn't move. "Joycie?" still nothing. "Joyce!" Nick reached out his hand and shook her a little.

"I-I" she started beaming. "I gotta tell Cynthia!" and with that she bolted towards the laundry-room with Nick and little Nick not far behind her. "What? I'm not good enough to tell first?" I hear him yell down the hall. I turn and Joyce is suddenly at my side with a grin as big as New York, I draw back a bit. "Gees kid, you smile any bigger you're gonna crack your face."

She shoved the letter into my hands and after I read it; we both began screamin and jumpin around, holdin each other at arms length.

"I cant believe it!" she squeaked, her throat so tight with excitement the words were a struggle to get out. "I was just goofing off, I didn't think anything would come of it!"

"You have to go!" I prompted.

"Where will I live? I already have everything set for NYU."

"F NYU kid! You got into your dream school!" we hugged again.

"will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Nick boomed somewhere between happy and confused. And so we explained everything. Joycie had gotten in to a college back in Monterey by some freak change. Tommy once said there were three ways outta the neighborhood; you could join the army, get mobbed up or become a star. The choices for women were even slimmer, you could marry a cheatin bum or you could marry a drunken bum or you could always marry just a bum. But Joyce, she had a way out and I convinced her to take it. I guess I was livin vicariously through her a lil. She was due to leave for Monterey the day after Frankie and Mary were married.

She didn't wanna leave without sayin goodbye to him. It was 4 in the morning, a crisp cool Jersey morning, the sun just barely dusting the earth with light. Nicki packin the car with a sad look on his face cause he felt like he was losin a sister. Frankie and Mary walkin up the street hand in hand taking a break from their honeymoon to wish her luck and all I could do was watch and think; how quietly, how steadfastly this little nobody suburban putts had touched all of our lives, and how much I was goin to miss her.

"We better get goin." I whispered in her ear. "We don't want you to miss that flight."

She nodded with somewhat of a heavy heart as I got in the drivers seat. She kissed the baby goodbye and looked down the street one last time for any sign of the man she dared to call her best friend, and she lingered, hope lingered, and then died.

We began to drive away.

"Joyce!"

We heard faintly.

"JOYCE!"

Again.

"JOYCIE GIORDANO!"

She turned around in the back seat on her knees and laughed; there he was. standing in the passenger's seat of one of DeCarlo's convertibles, making an ass of himself, waving his arms and yellin things in Italian. Playfully, she blew him a kiss and his last words to her as we drove away were "Bye, Bye Baby."

But where Joycie was gone we gained two new kids. A kid by the name of Gaudio and a kid bye the name of Parker, Judy Parker….

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**I am pleased as punch to say that this story is doing much better than I thought! 3 reviews and a lovely message which I will reply to as soon as I'm done :) I'm also pleased to say that my parents are majorly awesome because they got me tickets to see the REAL Frankie fore my 18th! Yay parents! **

**please keep the reviews coming, I so appreciate them :)**


	9. Da Do Ron Ron (Judy)

**Judy**

It was a beautiful morning outside the Hampton window, I loved spring and the blossom trees outside of Macy's, Tiffany's and Bloomingdale's, of course I didn't make enough money to shop in those stores but you can't blame a girl for looking.

"An Eggs Benedict for the lady." The sound of the waiters voice snapped me back to reality as he set the delicate dish before me. "and an apple cranberry salad for the gentleman, bleu on the side, bon appetite!"

"Thank you Garson!" my friend said with an elegant wave of his hand before putting his napkin in his lap. "So!" he started putting his elbows on the table and leaning forward. "How was the date?"

I ran a hand through my red hair as a sign and then bit my lip. Crewe through out a sigh. "Okay Judy." He started. "What was wrong with this one? Great job, does charity work." He paused putting his glass to his lips. "Great ass."

I shrugged slightly and buttered a piece of toast, and then it accrued to Crewe just what had been missing. "Oh no." he moaned putting a hand to his temple. "Not Mr. Short Shorts again."

I smile and nodded. I was an intern for Crewe at the time; a hopeful music producer to be. You see, Crewe had left some paper work in another studio and had me go get it. Well The Royal Teens were recording Short Shorts at that time so I knocked; I listened outside the door, thinking perhaps this was the dumbest song ever written with the most annoying sounding singers one could find. When suddenly he opened the door!

To quote one of my favorite songs "I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still

Da doo ron ron ron, da doo ron ron ron". It was love at first sight; he wasn't one of these Don Juan characters that Crewe is trying to set me up with, he was more of an adorable, lengthy Ichabod Crane in nice clothes. His lip quivered a little when he said hello. I said hello back and asked for the paper work. He got it, dropped it like 27 times on the way over to me, but he did get it to me. he was sweaty, shaky, bumbling and I wanted him to ask me to be his wife right then and there.

I left without getting his name and dreamt about him ever since. I think having a career so geared towards music all the love songs I've heard over the years made my grip on romance a little… mixed up. Ask any of the other girls and they'll say love at first sight isn't real; but, I knew I loved my Mr. Short Shorts, in fact, I was certain of it.

Crewe brought my attention back to reality. "Look Judy, you have to get over this. if you want to be a producer you need to look for a diamond in the rough, not another dirt Claude. Honey, if all he could come up with was four dummy lyrics and the second chorus only changes by one word; imagine how he will be other places; social situations, meetings, bed…. Besides you don't even know when or if you are going to see him again or what sign he is. I mean for all we know he could be an equivalent to Clim CaDiddle Hopper "

Crewe was somewhere between insane and genius. In my head I knew there was at least some logic in what he was saying, but my heart said no. Crewe looked at his watch and then snapped his fingers. "Fizzle sticks!" he blurted out before slapping my hand. "Judy you bad girl, why didn't you tell me it was near 1:15, you know I have to meet a group at 1:45. I swear if I didn't love you so much I'd fire you."

"Do you want me to get the car?" I asked.

"Yes. By the time I go tinkle I should be out there by the time the car comes around."

We were exiting the elevator on the 7th floor when we suddenly heard obscenities somewhere off in the distance; I looked to Crewe who put a finger up in assurance as he started towards the ruckus. "Woah, hey Toto watch the language, you're not in New York anymore!"

"Crewe! What are you doing here?" Another voice said in recognition.

I peeked around the wall and gasped and pinned my hand to my flip-flopping heart. There, right; there was a little Italian man and my Mr. Short Shorts. I watched as my boss and friend shifted his wait to one hip. "Well hello there, young-young-young-young, young man!" he giggled flustered and I wanted to kick him. I peeked my head out again.

"Scorpio?"

"No, Gaudio." Said Mr. Short Shorts-I mean Bob and I sighed dreamily.

"No silly!" demanded Crewe. "I mean when is your birthday?"

They exchanged birth dates and since they were a few weeks apart and Crewe and I were a few weeks apart that meant our signs matched up; which, didn't really matter to me but it was one less thing for Crewe to complain about.

"Oh the stars are in alinement!" Crewe burst, he said something else too but I was caught off guard when they rounded the corner and he snatched me by the arm. "Judy, cancel all my other appointments. I'm about to make some magic"

"it better be music magic." I say to him quietly. "Because that young-young-young-young, young man is my Mr. Short Shorts! I have dibs."

Crewe bit his lip before an idea light his eyes. "Don't worry Cinderella, I will take care of everything!" and that is how it all began.

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**Here's Judy, I thought I would put some fact into my fiction Bob Gaudio is actually married to a girl named Judy Parker who actually helped produce some of their songs. Judy is going to be my girl group buff and I just love Crewe! he's like my third favorite character in the movie! **

**thanks for the reviews. since I do actually have reviews on this happy to say :) I am open to any ideas. so if anyone wants to see something particular or thinks something would be good, tell me and i'll try to work it in :)**


	10. The Proud One (Cynthia)

**Cynthia**

"Maybe it will be another boy!"

I rolled my eyes and straightened Nicki's tie and snorted. "I'm already outnumbered by men in this house, I would like the numbers to be even again."

It was foreseeable; as soon as my extra help leaves I find out I'm four months pregnant with the second Massi kid. I was happy and scared at the same time; I wondered how the diner was gonna do now that Joycie was gone and I was goin to be laid out with a baby soon. Also this hick Crewe had a brilliant idea that the boys' group could record back up; the suck part was that they could be called into the studio at a drop of a hat which really put a strain on Nick's job at the Western Auto; so there was always the fear in the back of my mind that he was gonna get laid off for leavin work so much.

My only comfort was Mary Castelluccio or Valli or whatever the hell her last name was now, cause about a week after I found out I was expectin Mary starts gettin morning sickness; it was a joke between me and Joyce that she left just in time cause there must have been somethin in the water in Belleville that made everyone knocked up.

Nicki breaks the silence. "I don't wanna girl, cause if she's as pretty as you I don't wanna have to carry a stick in my car to beat off guys."

I smile and crane my neck up to meet his lips, he only wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up so that we can be eye level; he kisses me gruffly and with passion as I cup his cheek and my foot pops a little.

"No one get the door, I gotta key!" we heard a familiar voice come through the front door with a hint of annoyed sarcasm, ending our kiss.

"Tommooch!" Nicki yelled from the bedroom making me lose my focus on his cufflinks.

"Ni chooch." Tommy replied scoopin up baby Nick from the floor and givin him a kiss on the temple. "Gettin big ay ragazzo mio! You wanna dance? Dance with Uncle Tommy huh." He started movin around the livin room with the baby balanced on his hip. He kept this up until Nick and I entered the room and then put the baby down quickly, cause I guess he didn't want anyone to know that he had a heart.

"Hey lookin like a beached whale already I see!" He comments pointing to my swollen stomach and I walk up to himwith a strut . "You're crusin for a brusin Devito!" I hiss.

"Anytime pom-poms." He counters. I push him playfully at the high-school nickname he had given me sophomore year when I laughed at him for not being able to get on the football team. I was a cheerleader.

"Hey you ready to go or not? I just wanna get this damn party over with." Tommy snapped looking at Nick.

"Jesus Tommy, no reason to get so short. I'll get the car!" Nick swallowed, grabbing his keys and muttering as he went out the door. Tommy had been actin a little off the last couple of weeks and no one knew why, he was shorter tempered than usual, so I decided to pry a little.

"So how's Deana?" I question nodding my head. Tommy tensed and ran a hand down his face, lookin away slightly. "I don't wanna talk about it." He says in a voice far too low and soft for an Italian. Deana and Tommy were no exception to the "marry straight outta high school" rule. She was the prettiest girl in school and he was the guy every girl wanted, so it was only natural that they would end up tying the knot; they didn't love each other; Hell, they didn't even know each other. It was a marriage based on three things; pride, vanity and tolerance. And it appeared the tolerance part was wearin thin.

Tommy started to look back at me only to get detoured by a picture on the coffee table; she was in her cap and gown, smiling and lookin off in the distance, it was Joycie's graduation photo. Tommy cleared his throat and pointed at the picture. "How is she?" his voice was still soft.

"She's good." I reply. "Studyin hard. Believe it or not she misses Belleville like crazy!"

"Does she ever…." He trails off, with a wave of his hand his voice gets loud again. "Ah skip it, she would call if she did!" and he starts out the door. I bit my lip and in a moment of empathy I call out to him. "Ay Devito!"

He turns. "She asks bout you every chance she gets, just in case you were wonderin."

He grins a little as he holds the door open. "She's a good kid." He says. "I wouldn't expect any less." And with that he left. Tommy had his pride so I knew he wouldn't call her and Joyce did try to call him but Deana always hung up and never gave him messages, as for me, I didn't feel it would be right settin them up on phone dates, I didn't wanna watch her go down that same road of fallin for him again; not that it was likely, but after all; you know what they say about absence…

It was Frankie, Bob, Nick and Tommy in the group now. Bob was lethally the smartest one in the group when it came to music; but with women…. No dice. Tommy didn't want to babysit anymore squares; since he had already done it with Frankie. Frankie liked Gaudio and Nicki just wanted what was best for the group.

Meanwhile Crewe has this party for no good reason other than to get Bob and Judy together.

So they went to the party and while Bob was at the piano; Judy decided to make her move. She walked over with short red hair bouncing and a dimpled smiled on her face. She put a hand on his shoulder and when Bob turned and saw who it was; well, he fell clean off the piano bench.

"Oh I'm sorry." Said Judy, sincerely. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Bob tried to pull himself up coolly, but he ends up hitting a few piano keys gaining the attention of the entire room. He finally gets up and straightens. "I-I'm not frightened of anything, except maybe those lizards that run at people." he bumbled; ringing his hands. Judy put her hand to her lips and stifled a giggle. "Oh my, that would be scary!"

They smiled at each other like a couple of lovesick dopes before realization dawns on Bob that it might be wise to introduce himself. "Bob Gaudio song writer, keyboardist and Herpetophobiac apparently." He laughed

"Judy Parker, song writer, aspiring producer and Arachnophobiac; spiders creep me out." She shook his hand without any awkwardness. "I wanted to ask were you classically trained?"

Bob opened his mouth to answer when Tommy grabbed him by the shoulders and started dragging him towards the door. "Crewe's little friends are starting to hit on me, I don't do guys tryin to pick me up, time to go! Say goodnight Bobby!"

Bob leaned back against Tommy's forceful dragging. "Goodbye Ms. Parker, lovely meeting you!"

"Goodbye Bob!" she waved animatedly. "I hope we see more of each other!"

Tommy could only growl and push Bob out the door as hard as he could. "Runnin lizards scare him." Tommy grumbled. "I'll give you a runnin lizard, hell I'll be a runnin lizard if it will get you outta my group."

* * *

**Cynthia's prego! and I finally was able to write a little kiss scene. Poor Bob is afraid of reptiles.**

**tell me what you guys think :) **


	11. Sherry (Joyce)

**Joyce**

September 15, 1962.

Chantilly Paris. That was meant to be the big seller this week; we were supposed to push it in the face of every customer who happened to be unfortunate enough to walk through the perfume department, which was anybody who wanted to cut across to cosmetics or lingerie. I stood there in the most uncomfortable heels and navy blue, pencil skirt uniform with my head resting against my hand, looking down at all the different colors and shapes of perfumes thinking that there was over a billion dollars of fragrance in this case alone and how I would gladly sell all of them just for one more day back in Belleville.

Coming back to Monterey had been so different then I had thought it would have been. I had thought that it would be like I had never left. That I could walk down the street to the five and dime with the same gaggle of girls who I had grown up with. But, somewhere in the year I was gone something had changed, they had changed, I had changed; it really didn't matter which, just that there was a change.

Suddenly the annual Ms. Monterey Pageants and who was going with who seemed so trivial to me. Sitting down and gossiping was not something I could do anymore; I needed to be up and moving. I had done more, I had seen more than any of my old friends. It seemed as if they still lived in the dark ages of afternoon tea and dolls, and waiting to get married so their lives could begin. And they could be so cruel and petty; smile in your face and then happily stab you in the back and spread nasty rumors and lies. At least back in Jersey people were honestly dishonest; they didn't hide behind masks.

Oh I missed it! I missed the bustle of the diner at lunch; this one yelling at that one, blunt conversations that made you laugh despite the underlying insults, not knowing what or who was around the corner, trying to figure out how to survive, people telling you to eat when you were full. I missed Nick constantly getting in my space. I missed Cynthia yelling orders at me from across the diner and Frankie telling me to keep my hands out of my hair until he was finished styling it. I missed Chino and Joey, and Gyp, even Mary.

And I missed Tommy. Those all too real conversations about life and conquests and money that played over and over in my head. After the Rahway incident we had decided to be totally candid with each other about almost every detail of our lives. It wasn't often that we did this, we mostly were out for a good time; but sometimes when we were leaning against his car having a beer or an orange soda one of us would let a problem or a profound idea slip out and the other would try and put it into prospective. He could offer me blunt reality on things and I could provide him a more sensitive view. It was a great friendship, if I didn't find him so attractive it would be perfect.

"Ms. Giordano." I looked up to see my boss Lesley Hoon standing a few feet away and I knew this couldn't be good news. "Yes Mrs. Hoon?" I answered.

"Could I see you in the store-room please?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hoon."

I left my department and started back towards the shoe department where the store room was. as I got closer I heard giggling; which was uncharacteristic, but then again it was the only part of the store that had a radio stashed in it so…

Nearly everyone in the shoe department was in the stuffy little storeroom huddled around the radio, sneaking a smoke or drink. "Mrs. Hoon is coming." I warned only to be ignored. I shrugged and nestled myself up against one of the shelves where I could find space.

I decided to tune my ears in to whatever everyone was listening to…

"Sherry, Sherry baby

(Come, come, come out tonight)

Sherry, Sherry baby

(Come, come, come out tonight)

Sherry."

I thought nothing of it at first, only that it was a catchy tune. The girl next to me was elated and pointed to the radio and nodded. "fantastic song!"

"Sounds like it." I admit. "I wish I could have heard the whole thing."

The girl giggled. "No worries, it's a lock in, the station has been playing it for hours, listen!"

And so I did.

"This is KLVM your local station, Hellooo Monterey! This is Drew Moore giving all you cool guys and cute chicks the best of beats! We are on our 17th hour with the same song and it gets better and better each time we play it! So lend an ear because I'm playing it again! Straight from the horses' mouths I give you the lead singer Frankie Valli and his band The Four Seasons."

My heart stopped. "Valli?" I choked grabbing the girl by the arm to steady myself. "Did he just say Valli?"

The girl nodded.

"With an I? " I pressed, practically shaking in recognition of Nick's deep voice, the girl next to me shrugged and losing my senses for a moment I twirled myself around. "They did it!" I cried. "They really did! HE really did it! Oh I told him he would! Mary must be so proud! CYNTHIA must be so proud! He must be over the moon, how could I not be there? " I just felt a whole new burst of life enter my entire being as I practically went from person to person, beaming. "I cant even imagine! I-"

"What do you think I am running here? A dance hall?" Mrs. Hoon entered the storeroom and everyone got lost and went back to their post. She cleared her throat. "Ms. Giordano, as you know-" she stopped in midsentence realizing that my attention was still lost to the radio as I stood there, basking like a fool in pride and overwhelming happiness. She flipped the radio off and sent me crashing back to reality.

"As I was saying Ms. Giordano!" She began again, and I felt life weighing heavy on me again. "Here at Sears department store we all have a quota we are required to meet by a certain deadline."

I lowered my eyes. "Yes ma'am, I know this." I say quietly.

"You are not meeting your quota Ms. Giordano, why is this so?"

I swallowed and rang my hands behind my back. "With all due respect ma'am, our prices are a little outlandish for smelly water in pretty bottles." I answer honestly and it takes her aback. She parts her lips to continue, but sighs. "Do you see were I'm getting at with this Ms. Giordano?"

"Yes ma'am, I think I do."

Her eyes are empathetic as she brushes my arm. "Are you in school yet Ms. Giordano?"

I shook my head in shame. "No ma'am, the math classes I wanted to take to become an accountant were too much of a load for me to carry."

"How old are you? Do you have family in Monterey?" she asks.

"I'll be 19 in November, and all my remaining relatives in Monterey died when I was 16 ma'am."

"Where are you staying dear?" concern laced her voice now.

"In an apartment with four other girls. We all barely make enough to get by." I stay calm as I say this. she bits her lip debating on what to do with me and I manage a smile. "I am not looking for any charity ma'am, I admit I am not well suited for this job I have some money in an account to go off of for a while." I hold my hand out and she shakes it after a moments hesitation. "You are truly a woman of charm and grace Ms. Giordano. I will have your final paycheck in the mail on Thursday"

I start to go and she calls out to me as I reach the storeroom door. "Forgive me for prying Ms. Giordano but; what will you do? Where will you go?"

I know in my heart that there is only one right answer. "Home, home to Jersey."

* * *

**I love how this came out**


	12. Wishin and Hopin (Judy)

**Judy **

Seeing Sherry preformed on American Bandstand was a very exciting day for me especially! I mean my goodness how often do you get to say you shook hands with Dick Clark, and more importantly I was going to be with my dream boat Bob Gaudio!

I stood outside the studio with a bouquet of red roses, yellow tulips and white daises. Crewe, who was at my side gave me a look of pity. "You just scream desperate." He shakes his head and I smack his arm with a smile. "Its romantic and cute!" I protest. "He is a star, I'm bringing him flowers, its called irony.'

"and people think I'm confused." Crewe said through his teeth. Digging under his nails just as two cars park. I stand on tiptoes and stare into the glaring sun to see who it is and its them. I make my way over as they start getting their instruments out of the trunks.

"Jesus Mary, you've been yellin at me the whole hour and a half drive up here, can you give it a rest? Or at least tell me what I did wrong?" I hear Frankie ask who I can only assume to be his wife; she's a very pretty lady holding a baby. "If you are too stupid not to know, I'm not gonna tell you. Just get the Fn stroller outta the car. I see Frankie's shoulders drop. "Can't you just carry Toni and put her on your lap? Cynthia's gonna carry Patti."

"Like hell I am!" says another brunette woman in sunglasses; also with a baby in hone arm and holding a toddlers hand in her free hand. "You forget Castelluccio; I have two! I can't carry a two month old AND keep a three year old under control!"

"See!" Concluded Mrs. Valli, pointing a finger at the other woman triumphantly as Frankie slammed the trunk to his car down. Nick Massi suddenly appears with his base and an annoyed expression on his face. "Almost two hours in a car with two screamin kids… someone stab me in the eye!" he moaned.

"Ay it weren't no ride in the park for me either Nicki!" adds Devito to which Nick Massi just rolled his eyes. "Complain, complain, complain! All you do is complain Tommy!"

"May I remind you that your kid shit on my lap! What was I supposed to do? Take it with a cup of Fn tea? Here Tommy, have some shit and a scone!"

Finally I spot Bob; sprucing up the windshields, with that happy go-lucky smile. I leave the mayhem and skip over to him and tapped his shoulder. "Hi-hi!" I coo, he turns and grins. "Ms. Parker!" he says with clear delight. "What a welcomed sight! How are you?"

"Better now!" I say breathlessly. "I hope you don't find this too cliché; but…" I hold out the flowers. "most of the girl groups get dressing rooms full of flowers- I mean not that you're a girl group- I mean you are definitely not a girl- even though Frankie Valli sometimes sings like a girl- I'm really stupid, I should shut up now." I blurt all this out and kick myself mentally for it, burring my face in my hands in raw embarrassment. He tucked his hand around my wrist and pulled my hand away. "No, it was really sweet. Thank you."

He then turns and looks at the chaos ensuing a few feet away and smiles fondly. "The kids were such little angels on the ride up." He muses and my heart melts. "I got to hold little Toni, she is such a good little baby."

"So you want kids then?" at this he turns and meets my eyes.

"I want a whole swarm of them." We smile at each other and I can feel the gravitational pull towards our lips. So close to meeting, to kissing; he pulls away and rubs his arm. "I-I-I gotta-I need to-" and quickly he leaves to go inside the studio.

For the longest time I just stood outside basking in my almost kiss! After the show which was a huge hit; we all headed back over to Belleville to a diner that was mainly owned by Mrs. Massi. It was wall to wall people and they all seemed to know each other in way or another; it was so load I didn't know how anyone heard anyone else and it was impossible to get to Bob or Crewe. So I headed outside.

It was kind of the start of the symbolism both Bob and I would feel in our groups a couple of outsiders looking in on one big, dramatic, Italian soap opera.

But its awful funny; what a small world it is and how fate can step in. it was the day after Halloween and I was heading back to New York from visiting my Aunt Ruth in Philadelphia. The bus was practically empty except for three people. I wanted to sit by someone who might have an interesting story to inspire me to write a song or another anonymous fan letter to Bob.

"Excuse me?" I ask a young man. "Is this seat taken? "

"Buzz off!" he spits back. I'm taken aback and a little hurt by this. "No need to be rude!" I retort.

"Excuse me miss." I hear a soft voice say from a little further down the buss. "This seat isn't taken if you want to sit by me."

I turn to see a girl, around my age standing up, welcoming me over with a smile, third from the last row. I grin also and take her offer. "Thank you!" I say. "I was pining for some company."

"Oh no problem!" says my companion; she was a disheveled girl but kindness was kindness none the less. I set my things down by my feet and get out a pin and a yellow pad of paper and set it gently on my lap, I had it flipped to a fan letter I had started a while back and never finished. The girl next to me skimmed over it with her eyes.

"Are you a Four Seasons fan?" she questions and I giggle a little. "I'm a Four Seasons fanatic! And yourself?"

"I suppose you could call me a fan." She replies before struggling to stretch her back. "May I?" she points to the little pad of paper and I give it to her without any hesitation. "This is very well written and very poetic." Her blue eyes fell on me with a look of uncertainty. I take the pad and flip it back a few pages. "I have less mushy ones too; I'm writing him different variations of fan letters to boost his confidence so he'll ask me out. Bob Crewe is our mutual friend, I don't want you to think that I'm just some crazy fan."

The girl is silent and for a moment I think I scared her off, but she speaks. "It seems an awful roundabout way to get a guy. Why not just ask him out yourself?"

I shrug. "I guess I'm just old fashioned that way."

The girl chuckles. "I guess I can see the logic in that; if I squint really hard as I read between the lines." Her eyes drop to her lap then, some secret burden hidden in her eyes. "Then again, logic hasn't really been my forte lately."

This peaks my interest and I face her head on, almost bouncing with curiosity. "How do you figure?"

She gives me another uncertain glance and I smile and nod provokingly, but her eyes fall to the pad of paper again. "Are you a writer?"

"Song writer mostly." I admit. "What about you? What do you do?"

A light suddenly clicks within her as if I had just unlocked a part of her soul. "I'm a waitress." She says with a smile that bespoke pure pride as she looked out the front window of the bus. "You know its crazy. So many people in my shoes would think I'm absolutely off of my nut; I was in a good school, bound to make top of my class or close to it; numbers normally just come so easily to me! I was sure, I was so sure I wanted to be an accountant!"

She pauses and all I can do is hope she won't stop. "But you know you sit there and your mind wonders back. Back to the smell of the food and the stories your customers would tell, back to the juke box playing either too loud or too soft, knowing someone's order before they even sit down; then you start to realize you didn't just leave your customers… you left your entire family." She pauses and inhales sharply. "It seems the one thing I forgot to pack when I left Belleville was my heart. And your mind can't focus where your heart isn't."

The girl then catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "God, I look like hell." She laughs running a hand through her dark hair. "I guess a week on and off a bus will do that to you. What Season did you say you liked again?"

"Bob, Bob Gaudio."

She smiles. "I knew Tommy and Frankie were out of the running when you said you were trying to give him a boost of confidence. Tommy needs his ego stroked like he needs a heart attack and Frankie is pretty cocky himself, as for Nick well, you'd never get past his wife."

I blinked a little in confusion.

"the diner I said I worked at was in Bellville; I knew the Four Seasons when they were still only a trio." She grinned at my shock. "Small world, isn't it. Now you know the four reasons I'm working my way back to Jersey." She pauses. "As for this boy I think you should stop writing him anonymous fan letters and start letting him get to know the woman behind the note pad. Even if you have to make the first move, any relationship worth having should be open to trials and tribulations. Just because the weatherman predicts winter storms, doesn't mean that the flowers won't still grow."

I sit back and bit my lip in excitement as an idea pops into my head. "Do you have a ride back to Belleville Miss-"

"Joyce Giordano, I was going to hail a cab when I got off the bus, why?"

"Judy Parker, listen; if I give you a ride to the diner; I know where it is, will you help me get Bob?"

"Excuse me?" she laughs a little nervously. "I just met you, and I don't know him from Adam! How is that even going to work?"

I grab her hand in desperation. "Come on! It's a favor from girl to girl! Remember how you talked about the diner and how everyone will think you are loopy forgiving up everything? I don't think you are! And I want to end up with Bob just as bad as you wanted to come home! please! From one girl to another, I know you can help me! I just feel it!" I hold out my hand to make a deal, she hesitates and rolls her eyes and smiles, shaking my hand. "Remind me to have my sanity checked later."

I scream and hug her, thanking her again and again! When I drop her off she is greeted with enthusiastic hugs. Slowly, but surely she introduces herself to Bob; she says something to him and then points to me from my spot in the parking lot as I watch from a far. My heart leaps as a look of pure joy crosses the face of my prince charming as he turns…and waves at me; one of the now wilted flowers from the bunch I had given him at American Bandstand, just barely peeking out of his front coat pocket; my goodness! Maybe I don't have to be Wishing and Hoping, Thinking and Praying anymore!

* * *

** I loved writing the Bob/Judy moment 3 they are so sweet!**


	13. Big Girls Don't Cry (Cynthia)

**Cynthia**

"Are you stupid? Or just lazy answer me that!" I was pretty sure the whole block could hear me when I got angry like this; but I had no tolerance for stupidity which was what this was; a stupid, stupid move on her part. "Its college! You don't like math no more find a different major! You don't just leave! That was free money damn it! Don't you walk away when I'm talkin to you Joycie Ann Giordano!" I followed her into the hall.

"Yes, because I want to have this conversation for the 200th time." She says in an annoyed breath.

"Are you sassin me?" I ask grabbing her arm roughly. "Don't you be smart mouthin to me Giordano!" I push her towards the wall a little and I can see Nick peep his head around the corner watchiin as our daughter Patti sleeps on his shoulder. "Heya, give it a rest you guys, the baby's tryin to sleep."

"I'm not the one who's not willing to stop!" Joyce says to him and then turns to me. "and its not like I'm just sitting around here on my ass since I dropped out. I'm working the diner 24 7 and-"

I put my fists under my eyes and cut her off. "Boo hoo poor Joycie!"

"If you would let me finish!" she sighs. "I'm working the diner 24 7 because I love it there and signing up for classes at NYU again. Not that you would even know what the diner is like anymore or just how busy it is, since you hardly ever come around! Ever since Sherry you have been acting like some Hollywood actress! Always shopping with Mary! God forbid the Four Seasons have another hit, we'll have to start calling you Tallulah! "

"Maybe I hang out with Mary because she has a kid and she knows what its like!" I snap. Joyce starts gathering up her shoes and purse.

"I can't win for losing, can I?" she shakes her head and asks Nick for the keys to the old car; he gives them to her of course! Which only pisses me off more. "You're a big screw up with no self asteam if the only thing you aspire to be is a waitress! Ain't nothin in Jersey worth givin up free money for!" I yell at the top of the car port stairs

At this Joyce takes out her wallet and tosses it on the rock walkway. "Buy yourself another bottle of wine." She says to me in a shaky voice before getting in the car and driving away. I realize what I had said as soon as the tires leave the driveway and I kick myself before anger strikes me again. "That's right, go and cry to your new best friend Judy, see if I care!"

I reenter my home and go to dry the dishes and I can feel Nicki behind me. "Ungrateful little stugots." I say taking up a dish in my hand. "So damn sensitive she doesn't realize I'm just tryin to talk some sense into her."

For the longest time Nicki is silent, but I can feel him directly behind me. I turn after what seemed like forever and saw the look on his face; like he was sad or something.

"Nothin in Jersey worth givin up money for huh?" he says quietly, lookin down at his shoes. "Nice to know that I'm just a paycheck." He starts towards the back of the nursery to put Patti down for the night.

"Nick-" I call after him apologetically. "Baby… oh damn it." I kick one of the legs of the table, before running a hand through my hair.

Meanwhile, while my marriage problems are just startin Gaudio and Parker are startin to see each other regularly now. And man oh man were they cutesy! Playin board games and card games and shit like that. Layin on his mom's apartment floor, propped up on there hands giggling like a bunch of school girls.

"Uno!" Bob smiled tossin his second to last card down in the pile, before he cocked an eyebrow. "isn't this game kinda pointless with just two people?"

Judy laughed. "Unless you want to play Candyland again." At this Bob made a face; to which Judy laughed again her whole body shaking. "I've been meaning to ask you Bob, are you really Italian? I mean like truly!"

Clearly confused, Bob tilted his head. "Yeah, why?"

"Because you don't act like it! You are the most un-Italian Italian I've ever met!"

"I can be more Italian if you like." Bob cleared his throat and started waving his hand theatrically. "Ba da boda da, boda bing, BUTCH!"

There was a long moment of silence before they both started laughing hysterically, rolling onto their backs. "I think that was stupider than short shorts!" Bobby said through fits of chuckles. "Remind me never to do that again!"

"Oh I will!" Snickered Judy. "That was definitely stupid. Are you sure you don't want to go into acting with Joey."

At this Bob rolled over and nudged her playfully. "Oh shut up!" he cackled. He rolled back onto his back and put his hand behind his head and the both stared up at the rotating fan above them.

"So," Judy began. "The new song, how's it coming?"

Bob bit his lip and shifted a little. "Well, thanks to Jan Sterling, I have a title."

"What is it?"

"Big Girls Don't Cry."

One mornin when Joyce was comin into work she found all the waitresses huddled at the front door cackling like a bunch of hens. "Son of a bitch!" a male voice cut through the air infuriated. "Mother F'er! Woah!"

"Whats going on?" Joycie asked one of the girls, as she pushed her way through the crowd. "Why isn't anybody working?"

The waitress next to Joyce snickered, putting a hand to her lips. "We're too busy watchin the new guy fall on his ass cause he doesn't know how to skate. Its funnier than shit!"

"New guy? What new-" she looked out onto the floor to see Tommy fallin all over the place, duded up in a little blue uniform shirt and white slacks, trippin all over himself. "Tommy?" she says in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing!" he says to her over his shoulder, gripping at one of the booths for stability. "I'm wo-workin Joycie, I'm workin!"

She put a hand on her hip impatiently. "And doing a bang up job of it I see." She mocks. "Does Cynthia know you work here now?"

He was now practically straddling one of the tables. "You kiddin? I just grabbed a shirt and started! I figured once she saw how good I do she'll have to hire me!" he reasoned.

"Yes, and my ass is going to sprout wings and I'm going to have a drink in the Sahara with Bob Hope!" she countered rubbing her temple, going up to him. "Will you stop rolling around? Christ, you're an insurance liability waiting to happen!"

So she takes him outside to the back for a little heart to heart; sittin him on the steps so he can get the roller skates off his feet. "Alright Tommy." She starts by crossing her arms. "What are you trying to pull?"

He looked up at her and shook his head. "Nothin, skip it." He says defeatist, tuggin at the shoe laces.

"No." she says patiently. "Tell me what you were trying to do. I come into work and find you in-" she pauses to look at name the tag stitched on the left breast of the uniform. "Chino's uniform of all things, trying to wait tables!"

Tommy sighs growing irritable. "I said skip it."

"I know what you said and that's not really an answer."

Tommy gets to his feet. "Joycie!" he snaps facing her head on, and she comes down the steps and mets him with an unwavering gaze as they stand a few inches apart at a challenge. "Tommy…" her voice is still patient but a little more demanding.

He forces his eyes away with a jerk. "Christ! I needed a job okay?"

"I thought you were working for Gyp-"

"I am!" he admits to her. "And another job on top of that. You think I'd be here lookin like a yes-man asshole if I didn't need the dough! I cant spot pins no more so that income is gone! And all my money from Sherry is gone!"

Joyce cocks an eyebrow, rollin her eyes. "What debt are you trying to pay off now?"

"ITS NOT A DEBT!" He barks. "ITS FN FEES! ITS…divorce fees…" he shakes in total anger now, runnin a hand down his face before kickin the garbage can and sayin the F word as many times as he could. All Joyce could do was stand back and clap a hand over her mouth.

You see back in those days; divorce was kinda like tellin someone "Ay, I have a polar bear as a pet" it was rare! And for Italian Catholics it was like forget about it! Joycie knew he was anything but a good or at least faithful husband to Deana; but she also knew he did deep down see himself gettin old with Deana once he was done messin around. He was feelin real sore.

"She's cleanin me out for all I have! And why? Just to spite me, that's why! The other guys got to enjoy their Sherry money; me, I gotta pay for a divorce I don't even want!" he looks at her now, she's silent but firm in her stance. "Am I the first to know?"

"Yeah."

Joyce closes her eyes. "I will try and talk to Cynthia." She sighs. "But you gotta let me teach you how to be a good server and you cant lose your temper with the customers. And no more gambling."

"No more gamblin? What do you take me for-"

She cuts him off. "At least not while you work here; the waiters and waitresses divide their tips with the busboys and cooks, there is not enough money to go around to know it will get gambled away." She stares him down hard and he knows its an offer he cant refuse. He knows she will be good to him, as she always is, and sneak him some extra cash here and there. He takes the offer.

Well, with the patience she was blessed with she was able to withstand teaching the big clutts how to roller skate and he honestly wasn't a bad waiter, in fact, they ran the joint pretty well as a team. He was able to fix the jukebox and get more people in, between his three jobs and trying to still make bookins he was pretty straight and narrow on the gamblin and the women.

Tommy and Joycie were keepin the diner hoppin; they had a system and because of that they were kinda meetin in the middle of the "boy meets girl chart". He liked her a lot… and she liked him a little again too since he was in the process of not bein a married man no more, but it was just the usual flirtatious comments and stolen glances; but Tommy wanted more….

"C'mon Joycie you know we can." He pleads following her from the kitchen to the main dining area. "You know you wanna!"

Joyce kept her fists balled at her sides as she went back over to the table where they just were counting their earnings for the week. "No Tommy." She says in flat irritation. It had been the same conversation every night for the past three months, it didn't matter where they were anymore, he would just come right out and ask.

"Tell me what I gotta do to get you to say yes? I'll do it gladly, you know I will." he clasps his hands and continued to follow her around as they both began to put the chairs up on the tables.

"How many times do I have to tell you no before it gets in your head? No!"

"its not like I'm askin you to do somethin crazy! People do it all the time! We'd be so good at it! My brains your beauty! prego, io vi supplico viso d'angelo -"

Joyce slams her hand down on one of the tables, havin had the final straw. "Tommy! For the last time and I do mean the last time, we are not going to buy the diner out from under Cynthia and Nick! You can beg me in Italian, you can beg me in German, you can beg me in Swiss, my answer is no!"

He punches his fist to his hand animatedly. "It is such a great business opportunity! We basically run the joint anyway, Cynthia is treatin you like shit; I say F her and buy the place so we can start making this place as big as it can get!"

Joyce sighed and rubbed her temple. "First of all Nick and Cynthia are our friends and if Nick heard you talk like that he would punch you in the mouth! Secondly with what money are you planning to do this and with what time are you planning to do this?"

"We can save enough-"

"What about the band?" she finally asked and it touched upon a nerve. He turned away, completely tense. "The band…." He trails off. "You mean the band who's song writer cant think of anything else to write. That band?"

He sniffs the air. "Oh look at Bobby, he's the end all to be all, he's goin to get us places. Know whats he's got us? One Fn hit, one! Frankie follows him like he's Joan of the Fn Ark or somethin, Nicki too."

Joyce pushes herself up to sit on one of the edges of the tables with a smile that was much too difficult to hide. "You're jealous."

"F that!" he shoots over his shoulder, before pulling a deck of cards out from his breast pocket, shufflng them, distractedly, lookin out at a starry sky. "I dunno; everythin is just so up in the air with the divorce and the band and life. I just want one sure thing in life; one poker chip that I can hold out and say this is mine… this is all mine and no one can take it away from me."

Joyce bit her lip and slowly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, feelin her there, with her head restin on his back with genuine understandin and compassion he let the stiffness of his body drop away and relented to the touch. "You are going to have a sure thing someday." She says to him. "I just know it."

He turns….

He looks at her….

And she looks at him…

And then…

"I got it!" Bob comes bustin threw the doors, draggin an excited Judy behind him. "I got a new song!"

Big Girls Don't Cry and Walk Like a Man came out one right after another; followed by a bunch of other songs that made the charts and soon the boys were called away to their first cross country tour. It was the four of us girls sayin goodbye to our guys for the first time.

I felt a heavy heart as Nicki kissed our children goodbye with that fatherly affection I felt no one could ever match. As he put junior down his eyes fell upon me and I felt tears sting my eyes. I felt like it was our first year of marriage and I was losin him to the war all over again. He takes me in his arms and my tears roll down my face. "No cryin." He whispers lovingly, pressin me to him as hard as he could.

I look over to see Mary is cryin too, tellin Frankie how much she is gonna miss him.

"Well." Devito says, puttin the final bag into the trunk before facin her with a smile. "My sure thing!"

"Just like I said." Joyce grins. They embrace each other quickly and that is the extent of their goodbye.

"Make sure you don't run into any running lizards." Judy cautions Bob with a quivering lip as he cups her face with one hand, stroking away a tear with his thumb. "Think about me while I'm on tour." Bob manages a smile. "Because I know, I'll be thinking about you." At this Judy pulls Bob into a hug and whispers. "I'm so proud of you."

And then, just like that… they were drivin outta Jersey and outta our lives to their new life in stardom, leavin four girls waving goodbye in the streets, just waitin for them to come home. I tell you now, big girls do cry.

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**this was fun to write! a little snippet of every pairing! I'm glad I got to do another in between chapter where the guys are still actually home because I think the guys wont be in the next chapter a lot, or at least not with the girls ;) I really hope you guys liked it **


	14. Dawn Go Away (Mary)

**Mary**

What happened while the boys were on tour? You ask four different women, you get four different stories! Now I've been pretty quiet up to this point, cause I don't think that my whole life story is everyone's damn business! But now I'm talkin!

None of us were well suited for these men; except for maybe Judy, but more on that later. I was married to Frankie obviously, for three reasons;

I saw potential! I saw him, or at least him and I, making a mountain outta a molehill and gettin up and out of the neighborhood together, as a team! I thought he was cute and I did love him.

And for the longest time we were a team! I was the one he came to when he was feelin down about his career to give him a good kick in the pants to get him goin again. You think that two bit-hustler Tommy kept him hard set on the fame deal? Hell no, that was me who kept him on the up and up; taught him how to walk, how to talk, how to dress and how to be driven as hell to be more than a barber.

And did he take me with him? Did I get a pat on the back? No! I mean I did get phone calls from the road; but he more called for the kids. He loved the kids more than me and I didn't mind that, except for I had feelins to and I would have liked to have been a little more than a maid for his house and a mother to his kids.

What Cynthia failed to mention was there was actually a time laps between Big Girl's Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man and the first tour. Enough of a time laps for me to give birth to two more beautiful daughters Celia and our little Francine. So here I was basically a single mother of three.

And I had no help either; I mean after I was married my old high school gang left me in the dust; Cynthia Massi had her own little ones, and Parker and Giordano… forget about it; the one time I called for help after Christmas they basically said F you. It was New Year 's Eve of 63….

I stood in the hall with Francine balanced on one hip screamin at the top of her lungs, Celia with gum in her hair and Toni throwing an ever loving fit about her sister takin her stuffed bear oh and I was comin down with a fever so I called Giordano for a break since I knew she was good with the Massi kids. "Pick up pick up pick up." I mutter into the phone. It was Wednesday and my in laws were at evening mass and Cynthia Massi was outta town so Giordano was literally my only option.

"Hello?" Giordano answers.

"Joyce? Mary. Listen, I know we haven't had the best past but I'm coming down with a cold and I need help with the kids and-"

CRASH! I heard something shatter on the other end of the phone. "What the hell was that?" I questioned tryin to keep Francine from putting her hands in my mouth. "That would be Judy." Sighed Giordano. "Listening to Walk Like a Man for the thousandth time today and throwing all most all of my china against the wall." she pulls the phone away from her mouth a little. "Judy put the Tiffany lamp down! That was my mothers. If you're going to throw something throw the cheap stuff!"

"Giordano, are you listenin to me? are you listenin to a word I'm sayin? I need help!" I snap my fingers towards the livin room to try and get Celia and Toni to stop doing whatever they were doing.

"is everything ok?"

"No stupid!" I snapped. "if I'm callin you everythins not ok!" I then sneeze onto the phone grossin myself out.

"Mary, listen, I can't leave Judy, she's been on the brink of a nervous breakdown since Christmas-"

I cut her off. "Bob slept around, tell her to get the F over it!" I shout into the phone.

"It isn't that simple Mary-"

I shake my head near on the verge of tears. "Oh forget it, all I wanted is someone to break me from the kids so I could get some damn cold medicine!" I hang up and let myself slide down the wall lettin Francine crawl around. I put my hand to my forehead and start cryin; it wasn't supposed to be like this! no friends, no husband around, only comes home for Christmas; which is better than I can say for the other bums but still! ALL I WANTED WAS SOME MEDICINE…. And I got it, it was amazing what whiskey could do. I had drank before as a fun thing with friends but once I tried it as an antidote, there was no going back.

The bottle became my best friend, it made everything look better and bright and less lonely. Yes, Cynthia Massi was my drinkin buddy every now and again; the pictures of Nick posing with pretty girls for publicity really got to her but the bottle was always there for me.

I drank myself through lack of phone calls, tantrums from the kids, lonely birthdays, Nicki and Cynthia's fallin out, Parker's and Bob's engagement, Giordano gettin a boyfriend. It was a rough life but I got through it. There were only two things that were the final straw for me. The first was the Ohio State Fair.

It was one of those rare last minute ideas to go see him. Go surprise my husband. I had left the girls with my in-laws. The drive was fantastic, wind in my hair, wild fantasies about the old days; passionate kisses that ended arguments in a second flat; rememberin that goofy look the first time I kissed him; it didn't matter what it was exactly that drove me there but I was there.

The fairground was uneven and smelt like cow shit,… probably because it was covered in cow shit, and it was hot out so the smell was even worse. The guys were up on stage preformin the song Dawn; keepin prefect time together; my husband hadn't changed, he still looked like that dopey son of a barber I had married and for the first time in a long time I genuinely smiled.

After the show I found myself trailin them at a few paces behind. Frankie tugged at the neck of his turtleneck and glarin over at Nick. "A turtleneck and a sweater, what a great idea that was Nicki, its like 200 degrees out here!" he complained.

"I thought I was going to die of heatstroke up there." Adds Bob dragging a hand across his forehead. "Fine thing, I die of heatstroke a month before my wedding."

At this Devito rolls his eyes. "We get it Bob, you're gettin married, big whoop. Can we talk about somethin else?" he snorts. "maybe like who gets to use the shower first."

"Me obviously." Frankie pipes up, and I feel like this is a good time to make myself known. I open my mouth to speak when a band of cops step in front of me and address the boys about a Holiday Inn stay and how Devito skipped out on the bill.

As they handcuff the boys a sudden rage fell over me and I decide to let the idiots figure it out for themselves, I was not about to bail them out for being stupid enough to not make sure the bill was paid! So it was back home to the bottle, my medicine, my friend.

The second thing that made me decide to cut it off was my mother in law and Deana Devito or the ex Mrs. Devito. She was always so kind to me Frankie's mom, she always told me the straight up truth. So one day at the laundry mat she says to me. "Mary, you are losing yourself."

I was in one of my stupors but still had the capability to listen and throw clothes in the machine. "How so?" I grumble.

"I mean, you used to be so full of fire and now-" she bits her lip and folds a shirt. "Now I'm not sayin divorce my son; god forbid, just scare em a little…. Make him want what he has. You need to feel needed again that's all and quit with the bottle."

It was shockin coming from his mother; but people seemed to be more open with divorce after Deana left Tommy. It was a novel idea to try and scare Frankie into actin more lovin towards me other than bits of attention scattered here and there but I hadda try something.

So one day when he's home I through my wedding ring at him. He tells me to pick it up, twice and I wait for him to chase after me. sitting on my bed I wait and wait. I hear a soft sound in the next room. I make my way into the hall and stand outside our Francine's door.

"is mommy very sick?" I hear her ask.

The conversation goes on. And it breaks my heart. Had I been that wrapped up in my own shit? How could I not see what I was doing to my kids. I press my hand to my lips as Frankie sings to our daughter and I start wonderin how long it had been since I had sung to her, or any of the girls for that matter?

When he is done and she is asleep; he goes straight to the front door with no intention of seein in on me. but none of that mattered anymore. As I watch my little girl sleep and as I stroke a finger down her beautiful face; I realize the question is not how to make Frankie a better husband, its how I can make myself a better mother?

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**I feel like I wrote this in slow motion. I had such a hard time trying to write as Mary but at least I got to give glimpses of future chapters like Joyce getting a boyfriend and Bob and Judy romantic drama which Judy is up next :)**

**thanks for all the reviews and please keep em comin :) they really help**


	15. Walk Like a Man (Judy)

**Judy**

If I were to be asked what my favorite Four Season song is I would have to say Walk Like a Man, because I was the inspiration for it. Lets go back before the tour; the time lapse between Big Girls Don't Cry and Walk Like a Man, when everyone was happy and sort of falling in love with each other. All of us girls had our happy endings in sight. Nick and Cynthia Massi were looking at houses in a better neighborhood, Frankie and Mary Valli were popping out more kids; and as much as she would protest it everyone was sure that Joycie and Tommy were going to end up together; including Tommy. As for me, I felt as if each day was a step closer to becoming Mrs. Bob Gaudio!

As for my hand in Walk Like a Man; well, it went a little something like this. it was a fine New York day in the park. I wore my yellow short shorts outfit I remember because I asked Bobby if he liked it and he said it reminded him of a sunny day.

It was what the French call La Vie en Rose, a rosy world, nothing could get me down when Bobby was holding my hand even though he was feeling kind of down and out, he hung his head a little and kicked rocks while he shoveled along. When I felt his weight pulling heavy behind me I stopped and looked at him with my hands on my hips. "Alright grumpy Gus." I start. "Whats wrong?"

He tucks his hands in his coat pockets and stays quiet and I roll my eyes playfully. "I'm holding your hand and I feel like I'm pulling a reluctant puppy on a leash to go get neutered! Now whats wrong?"

Bob shifts a little. "What if I'm going through another dry spell." He finally fesses up. "I mean by the way you talk the girl groups are coming out with songs like there's no tomorrow! And you know how long of a wait it was between Short Shorts and Sherry, Sherry and Big Girls, what if another song doesn't come to me for months or years?"

He stands there by a tree and puts his hand against the tree and I start to think, tapping a finger against my lips. "Maybe hearing other music will inspire you…" I bit my lip and swallowed my pride. I didn't have a great singing voice, but I started to sing to him none the less…

"Well, he walked up to me  
And he asked me if I wanted to dance  
He looked kinda nice  
And so I said, "I might take a chance"

I kept my voice low so that the serenade could just be between us. I inched towards him, awkwardly taking his hand in mine and pulling him into a soft dance; eyes meeting eyes with longing, I laughed and sung the next few bars.

" When he danced, he held me tight  
And when he walked me home that night  
All the stars were shinin' bright  
And then he…."

We stopped dancing, our bodies so close that they brushed ever so gently, as I brought my hand to cup the back of his neck I could feel his breath upon my face. I boldly brought my lips to his and our lips together into a first kiss. Stunned at first he took only a moment to reciprocate, adding his own pressure to the kiss. I broke away and smiled, as Bobby stood there with a deer in the headlights expression. After a moment he pointed a finger back towards his car. "I…think…I left something!" he says in a higher pitched voice. "go on a head."

So I obey him, starting on a head only to look back to see Bob skipping, literally skipping with glee back towards his car. I couldn't help but snicker out loud; when he heard me he jumped and started to walk…well…like a man.

Now we can fast forward to the tour! All though we were miles apart; all Bobby and I could talk about was each other. I remember one day at the diner I was talking to Joycie about what mine and Bob's children might look like, of course Joycie wasn't listening; she was too busy glaring at Richard Lloyd, the new owner of the diner. He was a southerner just passing through and bought the diner from Cynthia on a whim; nice guy, but Joycie started out really hating him, only to become his girlfriend later; I don't know the whole story, I was too involved in my fantasy life with Bob to even heed her warnings about putting the cart before the horse.

Meanwhile in another part of the world in another diner; our boys were having conversations of their own. Bobby sat with his chin in his hand as their busty waitress set a cup of coffee in front of him. She winked and said "On the house". The other three men picked up on the social cue and decided to 'help' my Bobby out.

"Va-va-voom.' Said Nicki in a wolf-call manor.

"Somethin about a woman in uniform." Added Tommy waving his hand theatrically like it was hot. "The things you can do when you get them outta their uniform. Marone!"

Frankie nudged Bob a little with his elbow. "I think she likes you Bobby!"

Bob snaps back to reality and shakes his head. "Oh no." he says shyly. "Even if she did; there is only one girl for me-"

The boys drop their shoulders and grunt, finishing the sentence in unison. "Judy Parker. We know, we know."

Bob's face brightens at the sound of my name and he puts down his napkin seeing an opportunity to make this a table discussion. "You know I talked to Judy on the phone the other day, she did the silliest thing! She tried to set her own hair and forgot to wet it and put in the Dippity Doo Isn't that just the cutest thing? Her hair flopping everywhere." He then sighs. "She is so adorable."

"Dippity Doo, I'll give you Dippity Do,merda faccia,, you are a Dippity Doo." Tommy says under his breath.

The boys cringed a little at the cutesy stuff Bob would say said and they would hope he wouldn't continue, the waitress came back and "dropped something" and the three men nearly fainted.

"Oh Bobby please jump on that!" Nick pleads desperately. "From a married guy to a single guy; do it for me, take one for the team!"

Bobby squirms a little as Nick reaches for him. "Eww no! I'm not living out your fantasies for you! Have Tommy do it."

"Are you kiddin? My balls are sore from all the girls I've been-" he is stopped short by the table behind them, a group of old ladies, turned in utter disgust and Tommy got humble in a hurry. "Bobby listen-"

The guys then proceeded to tell Bob that he needed to "shop around" or at least "get experience" so he could "be good" on our wedding night. Because, it was okay if the bride was pure for her groom, but if the groom is saving himself, oh heaven forbid! They pressured him and pressured him until late December of 63. He snapped.

It was only supposed to be a Christmas Eve brunch at some hotel in New York City; a brunch with some of the studio members and straight home. Cake and champagne, they said. Bagels and eggs, they said.

Joycie and I waited at Crewe's place; we were like a couple of kids; decorating a beautiful 5 foot tall pine tree. It was the fifth tree we had done Joycie and I, we were like little elves! First we did her godparents' tree, then we helped with my parents tree, then the Massi household tree, the tree in the diner and now Crewe's tree, oh and endless amounts of baking! We were sure all of Jersey smelt like one giant cookie! But we wanted our guys to come home to a Winter Wonderland!

Joycie stood on a ladder hanging up the mistletoe above the fireplace, biting her tongue in deep focus and I came up behind her like a little kid, rocking back and forth on my heels. "I can't wait to try this with Bob!" I beam.

"I bet you can't!" Joycie replies stepping down from the ladder. I pout a little. "Are you sure you won't stay?"

"I can't!" she laughs taking my hands. "I have to do presents at my godparents, then I have to go to the Massi house; big brother Nick insisted on meeting Rich for boyfriend approval."

"What about Tommy?" I ask. "when do you plan to see him? He must miss you."

Joyce shrugged. "I might bump into him when I go see grandpa Devito, I dunno. As for missing me, the only thing Tommy ever misses is the money he loses when he gambles. Anyway, wish me luck with Rich and Nick, I'm sure I'll need it."

We hug each other goodbye and the waiting begins. I pace the floor for hours waiting, biting my nails until I finally decide to call, it rings a few times and Bob finally picks up, sounding a little winded.

"Bobby honey hang up the phone and come back to bed." I hear a feminine voice on the other end and my blood turns to ice….

"Are-are you sleeping with somebody?" I ask with a nervous laugh. He explains everything; how Tommy brought the girl to his room and how he was "doing it for us, so he could be better when we decided to do it" and "whats the big deal? All the other guys are doing it".

Oh well I just lost it! I literally went nuts for about five months straight! I would seriously just go into an all fired rage whenever I was around my friends. I would be in the kitchen of the diner and throw stuff, one time I even almost threw a Tiffany lamp. And I would just yell, yell at the top of my lungs.

"A CHIPIE! HE SLEPT WITH A CHIPIE!"

Joycie was totally helpless at times like this; since Crewe had banned me from his apartment until he was sure I was done with my breaking things ordeal. Like I said all Joyce could do was listen to me go on like a raving lunatic and hope not to get caught in the line of fire of flying glass objects.

"I hate him!" I stated. "I hate him, I hate Tommy, I hate Nick. But Tommy! I hate that Italian pig most of all! My hand to God, oh look at me, I'm a big butt-hole who likes to ruin lives. And I'm mad at you too Joycie!"

"Me?" she asked, ducking out of the way of a coffee mug. "Why me? What did I do other than let you throw my china?"

I boiled. "The monkey assed-greasy wop-son of a bitch bastard is your friend and you knew he had chipie friends and still you let him hang around my Bobby! And the worst part is I thought you had Tommy under control! He did it for us! What a load of horse shit!'

I went on like this until one day the boys came home and my anger quit me and all there was left to do was lay in bed and cry. I refused to see him but I missed him, but my heart was so broken still that it made my whole body feel heavy. I spent weeks like that. Until one day the bedroom door opens with a soft click and a light pressure joins me at the side of the bed as my best friend sits there.

"He sent you more flowers." She says softly and then laughs. "The living room is starting to look like a flower shop. You should come see."

I just buried my face in my pillow and Joyce sighed. "Judy, I've been here, I've been in your shoes. I was 16 I had thought…. I swore I was madly in love with this man with all I had, and I was going to marry him someday, and that he was as hopelessly in love with me as I was him. When I saw him kissing another girl. I felt like my world was falling apart, first my parents then the boy I loved. I wanted to hurt him. God, I just wanted to hurt him as bad as he hurt me and I did."

At this I sat up. "What did you do? Who was the guy?" I asked.

She put a hand up to shush me. "What I did and who it was doesn't matter. My point is, we came to a cross roads. We had to decide to close the book because we didn't like the last chapter or let the story continue to unfold." She pauses. "Judy, if this man loves you as much as I think he does. He truly is sorry and I truly think it would be selfish to not have him have a say in closing the book or not."

"So, you think I should forgive him?"

"See what he has to say." She corrects. "and if you do decide to close the book, at least you'll know it wasn't a rushed decision."

"And if I stay with him?" I ask.

Joyce smirks a little. "You have a damn good thing to hold over his head if you ever do anything to piss him off." At this, I laugh and hug her.

I had her call up Bob a few days later to have him meet me at the park. When I saw him down the lane he was holding a bunch of all my favorite flowers looking down at his feet. Looking at him from a far I was sure of two things; I still loved him and I wouldn't have minded hitting him over the head with a rock.

When he saw me he ran to me and took me in his arms without any warning. "Oh thank God!" he breathes in my ear. "I thought you wouldn't come, I thought I lost you forever!"

"Bob, I-"

"Judy I love you!" he cuts me off. "I was such an idiot to think that you would want me to try and fit in, and better myself that way! All it made me do was realize how much I love you. My life never revolved around the old neighborhood, I never came from the old neighborhood, I don't give a F about the old neighborhood! All I want is a life with you, You Judy!"

This was my moment; to love him or leave him… so, I decide to slug him in the arm and say "No more chipies!" and then I hug him with the intention of never letting go….

And we were engaged to be married three weeks later.

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**This was so fun to write! the all awaited Bob/Judy :) hope I did you guys proud! two more days till I get to see Frankie Valli :D Joycie and Tommy are up next**

**as always reviews and suggestions are loved. **


	16. My Mother's eyes (Joyce & Mrs Devito)

**Joyce**

After my parents died it always kind of frightened me to send my loved ones off in a car for any length of time. I had told Tommy several times before they left not to let Nicki drive after he drank. But that's neither here nor there.

My goodbye to Tommy was not long and sentimental like the others because I knew from the first time we saw each other after the Rahway incident that an undecided piece of my heart would go with him wherever he went; I say undecided because it was somewhere between estranged lover or a too intimate friend.

The diner felt so empty at first. Jersey seemed empty. It was like the song Summerwind; I watched as each of my friends dealt with the aftermath of what the boys had left behind, and we all had our antidotes; Mary had her wine, Cynthia was somewhere between dedicated mother and basking wife of a star, Judy had her rage and I had the diner.

If you ask anyone in Jersey from the time he was two he had been a public nemesis; but what no one knew is just how rough Tommy had it as a kid and how much of a heart he actually had. Despite what anyone would think he did call his family and me when no one was around. I always got late night phone calls when there were no girls to be had or parties to be at, and we would prattle for hours sometimes about trivial nonsense or sometimes we would just be quiet, close our eyes and listen to each other breathe and talk passively and tiredly.

It took me back to the old days when I had just met him; sometimes he would come into the diner with a black eye or busted lip and I would help clean him up. Being 16 and with an uppity beauty queen mother like mine you would thought I would have turned him away but my daddy always told me to hold men who get into fights dear because it meant they have something worth fighting for. I guess that was kinda the allure for Tommy that I had. What made him so angry? What made us so strangely alike and drawn?

But I knew why now; we may have dreamt in different ways but we were both dreamers nevertheless. He had gotten his dream and for that fact alone I couldn't be angry or jealous at him for the girls and the fame that came with it. He had gotten his dream and I for the longest time had thought I had gotten mine.

Judy had gotten the timing wrong with Rich and Papa Devito; I couldn't have been taking Rich to meet Nick the Christmas of 63 because that was the day I met him and Papa Devito didn't enter my life until months later.

I was actually working the diner that Christmas with a few other people; Cynthia had taken the kids to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center in New York before they went to meet Nick, and my Godparents were at mass all day. Tommy had called the diner to wish me Merry Christmas and that's where my story of the tour really begins.

"I'm glad to hear you're having a good time! Did Nick leave yet?" I smiled as I twirled the phone cord around my finger.

"Yeah, Cynthia and the kids just picked him up." Tommy replies and then pauses. "You know Joycie, the parties still goin… you wanna come down?... Maybe talk about takein us to the next level." His voice is softer now with a twist of sincerity. "You can be my Christmas present this year."

I'm taken aback a moment; it was the first he had ever mentioned anything like this. Time seemed to stand still as I seriously considered it. It was only after he followed it up with "We can try and start a fire the old fashioned way" and I heard a feminine laugh on the other end that my mind was made up.

"Um, I don't think I can leave this place, its packed."

I lied, there was only like three people. Tommy sighed. "Alright, Buon Natale, bella mia.'

"Merry Christmas,… Tommy." I hung up and let out the breath I had been holding, I straightened and made my way over to a table to take down an order. I managed a smile despite how shaken I was by Tommy's advance. "Have we decided?" I asked the customer over his menu.

"Is it all I-talian?" the customer said with a heavy southern twang that took me aback. "I would just like some hotcakes or grits or somethin along those lines."

I chuckled a little and ran my finger down the breakfast portion of the menu until I reached a certain item "stack of pancakes." I grin.

"Well shoot." Counters the man. "the pila di frittelle? Is that it? It should just say so in plain English!"

At this I cock an eyebrow. "It does." I exclaim. "Right above in the bigger print."

The customer puts his menu down and puts some glasses on; he has a charmingly warm face and I snickered a little as he finds the pancakes. "well bless my eyes, I was so busy looking at the i-talian, I didn't even see the English!"

"Its ok." I assure. "it takes awhile but eventually, you learn it. I was new at reading Italian too once."

He returns the smile. "Why is it written that way Miss-" he looks at my name tag. "Miss Joyce. That's a right pretty name you got Miss Joyce, why is the menu like that."

I go behind the counter and place his order in the little window. "Well, this diner opened back in the 1920s; so the original owners; Angelo Lugia, put Italian translations underneath the English just in case. Its been kept that way ever since."

"That's mighty fine trivia." He sits down at the counter.

"Thanks." I say, "I know this place inside and out. This place brings people so much joy, not to know every nook and cranny is a shame." I laugh at myself, as I pour some coffee. "I guess that's the Italian in me. I like to bring people food. People get so much enjoyment out of eating, and talking while they eat. I can't help but feed off of the happiness food brings others."

"I bet that's a mighty dandy feeling." He agrees.

"it is." I conclude. We start to talk; he tells me that his name is Richard Lloyd and that he was just passing through Belleville though I can't remember why. He also told me how the diner had no real comfort food and I tried to explain how in Jersey, Italian food was comfort food. He stayed for hours trying to learn all he could but he just didn't get it. And my mistake, I proceed to tell him how Cynthia had nothing really to do with the diner and that I was running it for the most part.

Well, a week or so later Nick gets a phone call from Cynthia saying that she had sold the diner for 32 hundred dollars and was coming down to wherever they were to see him with the kids. Tommy took this news almost as hard as I did.

"Son of a bitch Nicki!" he screams from across their little hotel room. "How could you let Cynthia sell the place? New management, new owners! Joycie is going to be crushed!"

"Oh come off it Tom." Groans Nick throwing himself back onto the bed. "its not like she lost her job. She still works there, besides, he just bought the business, we still own the buildin."

"Nicki this guy ain't like us! He's gonna wanna make changes! F! he's already said he wants to renovate and change the menu, how long before he changes the staff?" Tommy shook his head and spoke more to himself. "Runnin that diner is what keeps her goin, it keeps her mind off things." He slams his hand down on the dresser and grabs his coat. "F it! I ain't gonna let her lose it, I'll buy it out from under the bumpkin bastard."

It was a great sentiment, but there was no follow through. The diner did change under Rich's ownership; not drastically, but enough to bug me. The uniforms changed from cute blue dresses to jeans and red and white checked shirts tied at the stomach and no more roller skates. I lost a lot of say so in matters, also. It was so hard to swallow, especially when the jukebox that had been broken since I was 16, and Tommy use to always fix was replaced with one that would never break. Around this same time Judy was always in a rage, Mary was drinking and Cynthia was gone more and more. I felt like everything I loved was either drifting away from me or changing so rapidly that I was powerless to try and keep up.

But it was when he started playing with the menu that put an irrational gut wrenching fear in me that it would just close all together. People weren't use to chicken fried steak, cornbread, fried okra, creamed corn and tapioca pudding or the big band music the jukebox was suddenly flooded with. Rich wasn't one for modern music, or modern anything for that matter. Luckily, he kept the old favorites on the menu too; I mean he was slow at things but not stupid, at least not completely.

And some of the new stuff did go over well. Like the fried okra, the first time Gyp had it he said it reminded him of fried eggplant; he told us to keep it on the menu as long as we put marinara on it.

I still managed to not like Rich for what I had thought he took away from me. Somehow I picked apart everything he did in my mind, even though he had no faults. He was never rude, he was never selfish, he loved the diner almost as much as I did and still he made my blood just boil. He was so relaxed; taking his sweet time to do things, going from table to table and just talking; even the way he talked reminded me of honey dripping off a spoon on a cold day; too slow and far too sweet.

Rich often said that I had two speeds; fast and turbo. I could often hear him ask Chino or other staff members "does that woman ever stop?" it seemed that without the roller skates I was even more driven not to sit down. Not to stop. Not to let anything else get ahead of me. There would be a word for it later…OCD.

I think my speed annoyed him as much as his lack of speed irritated the shit out of me. Not that his southern charm would ever let him let on to annoyance.

There was one thing that brought all of us together; and by all of us I mean Rich, Tommy and I…. Papa Devito….

Other than Tommy's brother I had never met any of the Devito family; and it was probably just as well, because his father and my father were high school rivals. Tommy said that a Devito being friends with a Giordano was unheard of as far as his parents were concern. So when Joey came to me and said that Mr. Devito had a small stroke….

I didn't even think to call Tommy and ask him what I could or should do; I just cut my losses and went. It was the Christian thing to do as my mother would say. When I got there I found Mrs. Devito on the phone in tears with Deana asking her to come back and help. When I told Mrs. Devito who I was she looked at me like I was poison.

"its okay." I assured with a nervous laugh. "I come in peace. Tommy and I are friends."

She hesitated before taking the roses I had bought for her and taking me in where her husband was. He sat, slumped in front of the television set. He looked up at me as his wife explained who I was. I smiled uncomfortably as he glared. "Hello, Mr. Devito."

He pointed at me and said something in a slur to which his wife clarified. "He said your father was an asshole." And I let it roll off of my back. The stroke had affected his speech and fine motor skills. I turned to Mrs. Devito and she assured me with a nod and I turned back to Tommy's dad. "May I sit and watch some TV with you?" I ask.

He says nothing and I sit uneasy. After a while in awkward silence I see him reach down for a little strip of cloth in his lap to wipe some drawl from the corner of his lips; he struggles quite a bit and his wife springs from the doorway to help me. Gingerly I beat her to it, helping him dab the corner of his lips. I think it shocked everyone, including myself.

That was the start. Pretty soon I was over at their house as often as I could; either just watching and visiting Mr. Devito or helping physically with eating and regaining his motor skills, and Rich was kind enough to give me some paid time off to go help out. It took Mr. Devito awhile to get use to me around and once I got use to his speech he often told me just how much he disliked my father; but I took it in my stride. I figured that he was like Tommy and had trouble saying words of gratitude and Mrs. Devito confirmed it.

She and I became very close; I considered her to be like a mother to me and she was open with her gratitude. We often talked about her distress with her sons; Nick was always in and out of Rahway and she openly said that she thought Tommy was a selfish prick.

"You know he hasn't even called his father once; he says he cant deal with it." She told me once when we were in the kitchen. "I blame his father. He always was so hard on the boys; especially Tom since he was the baby and he didn't want no more kids after Nick. He had no problem smackin Tom and me around and bringing other girls home while Tommy was asleep, or when he thought Tommy was asleep."

I bit my lip and boldly asked. "Why did you let him? Why did you stay with him?"

Her eyes glistened with tears as she said. "I was a woman with two kids, I would have had nothing if I left him." She paused. "He's much better to me now that he's older, and after the stroke…." She trailed off...

It made me sad that they had to have that kind of life. I knew Tommy would never raise a hand to a woman but it did kind of explain things like why he cheated and why he was so cold at times and so driven. I wished I could go back and change things for him and his mother. I knew there was a good man inside of him, I saw it whenever I looked into his eyes.

One morning when I went to the Devito household I found Rich Lloyd there sharing his big band records with Mr. Devito. He stood when I entered the room and said honestly that he had followed me there to be more of a help since he knew how I was; rushy and all.

And he was a help; a huge help! His grandmother had a very similar stroke a few years back and he knew just what to do. Mr. Devito and Rich shared a fascination with big band and all things from the late 30s, thus earning Rich the honor to call him Papa Devito.

Rich was like a breath of fresh air to that house! He got Papa Devito to smile again and he would sometimes bring me and Mama Devito coffee from the diner or randomly pull one of us into a dance when they would listen to music, he brought laughter and hope. It was suddenly like an epiphany to me just how kind Rich was and slowly but surely my walls that I had put up when he bought the diner crumbled and we began to become friends…. And we were happy.

**Mama Devito**

I think it was Easter when things started to become complicated for my son. The kids; Rich and Joycie were dying Easter eggs in the kitchen with my husband to do an egg hunt at the diner for the little ones.

It did my heart so good to see that two such wonderful people could find each other and find themselves into my life and my home. I felt like maybe the stroke was a blessing in disguise. I felt like I finally had a family under my roof.

I leaned against the door way, smiling and watching. "What color would you like Papa?" Rich asked my husband putting an egg onto a spoon. "Green, please." My husband answered as best he could. Rich pursed his lips as he looked for the color. "Miss Joyce, do you have the green dye honey?"

Joyce turned from her place at the sink as she stirred a new mug of dye. "Just making a fresh batch now Richy." She replied with a soft tone.

I laughed a little at how natural they were. When suddenly a figure out the window caught my eye. It was Tommy… home from a tour. He just stood there with a nostalgic look on his face as he examined the old Easter decorations and the kitchen he had grown up in. his eyes traveled every inch of the room until they fell upon her. I could tell right away that… this girl…was different. Just the way he looked at her you could tell. It was overwhelmin, an overwhelmin since of caring, and compassion, and need that was so blissful and so uncharacteristic to behold. A smile played at his lips as he watched her set the mug of green dye down and place a kiss upon his father's temple. Then he looked at his father…

It was like a cloud fell over him. Despite the sheer joy that was on his father's face as Rich guided his hand to put an egg in the green dye a look of pure terror crossed Tommy's face. As his mother I knew what he was thinkin.

He was thinkin that this is the man who once stood so straight and firm and tall. This is the man that I use to both revere and cower to. This is the man I wanted to be when I was young; cool and untouchable.

It was too much for him. It was too real for Tommy to deal with, too far down from the macho fame and notoriety cloud he had been livin on. He wouldn't know how to act or what to do, what to say. Tommy had been all about Tommy too long to know and I think that realization dawned on him

I saw his eyes water up to cry as he turned to go. And….as his mother….I let him go.

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**hey guys; here's the next chapter; feels like its been forever, I thought I'd maybe try and show a soft side and some back story of Tommy so I hope it goes over well and you guys like it. **

**the concert was awesome! Frankie even rapped for about 20 seconds! I even met a guy from New Yprk so fun! and then I saw a big band concert which really inspired me for Rich. :)**

**anyway Cynthia and Nick are next.**

**keep the lovely reviews coming, they make my heart just sing and I am soo grateful for them **


	17. The Leader of the Pack (Cynthia)

**Cynthia**

I was never one for followin rules. I tried all the other methods to quote-unquote cope. Drinkin with Mary, bein mad like Judy, I even tried to dedicate myself to somethin like sewing bein as no one could touch the diner with a ten foot poll as long as Joyce was around. So Christmas of 63 rolls around, I pack up the kids to take them ice skating and then I go to pick up Nick at the Sinatra Suite and surprise-surprise one of their little groupies answers the door. I only push past the girl and enter the suite boldly holding my kids hands, like there was nothin to it.

Bobby panicked and walked over tryin to give me a hasty explanation as to prevent a huge beef between Nick and I. I only flared my lip and said smartly. "You might want to save it for Judy, Bob." At this I see his lip quiver and I smile coolly. Then my attention turns to Tommy who is on the phone.

"Yeah, Cynthia and the kids just picked him up." Tommy says into the phone and then pauses. "You know Joycie, the parties still goin… you wanna come down?... Maybe talk about takein us to the next level." His voice is sickingly sweet. "You can be my Christmas present this year."

Just to be a bitch I snuck up behind him and deepened my voice. "We can try and start a fire the old fashioned way." I say before laughing and grabbing the phone; Tommy snatches it back and mouths some curse words at me only to find out Joyce had crapped out on him. He hung up in angered defeat. "What the hell pom-poms? I was tryin too-"

"Get Joyce on her back? Yeah I know; like you could ever land a girl like her; she knows who you are Tommy, can't fool her." I see the rage fill his face and I smile satisfied as Bob joins us. I stand back and address them both. "Well gentlemen; I notice the parties dying down, Frankie is with his family, here I am with Nick's family; where are your guys' sweethearts and families huh?" I say venomously as Nick comes out of the bathroom with a dumbstruck expression. "Hope this lil Christmas party was worth throwin good things away. Nick I will deal with you in the car."

Why would I stand up for the other girls; when I thought Judy was ditzy and Joyce had thrown her life away? Well, it was because they were still my girls. I had to protect them as much as I had to protect myself!

I did deal with Nick in the car like I said and I did it in a way I knew would drive him crazy. You see, most Italian couples would have an all-out screamin war; but not me! I wasn't about to ruin Christmas for my kids. I gave Nicki a very, very, very cold shoulder. I mean, quiet as a mouse less I was talkin to the kids it just made him dance in his seat with discomfort.

"I was just canoodlin!" he says in a desperate attempt. "I would never sleep around! Just canoodle…. For press and stuff."

I crank up the radio so the kids won't hear me talk. "I see the papers Nicki! I ain't blind to your canoodlin, or whatever the hell you wanna call it." I pause and then snort. "Walk Like a Man, ha! I don't see a pair of testicles in the group! Can't even say no…"

I could be very cold and very blunt; smile in your face and stab you in the back was my policy. Nick was like a dog with a tail between his legs for that week between Christmas and New Years. He watched his step very closely.

When he left; it began again. Press pictures of the guys with cute girls draped around him and the other guys. I remember when it was that the best revenge idea ever came to me. I had a newspaper on the table with them on the front…

"Put that away Cynthia." Joycie cautioned as she dressed Patti after her bath. "Judy is coming over, we don't need to give her any more reason to go on a tangent."

"Seriously?" I questioned. "Hide the paper? You should be telling me to hide the china. The girl is a bull in a glass shop!"

Joyce nodded. "I bought some cheap dishes at a yard sale this morning just in case."

I roll my eyes and turn on my heal to face her. "How long are you going to let her keep this up? I swear you let people get away with murder! Sometimes I think you have too much patients!"

"Yeah well, if I could think of charges to throw Bob and them in Rahway I would. They do piss me off; I just try and keep the peace as best I can by keeping my mouth shut. I'm a pleaser, you know that."

She then snatched up my coffee cup and began to wash it much to my annoyance. "I wasn't finished with that." I says to her. "if you would slow down for eight seconds maybe you would realize that people do like to leisurely do stuff."

"Sorry." She replies. "I'll get you a fresh cup."

I shake my head. "Skip it."

She nods and there is a knock at the door.

"Can you get that?" Joyce request already halfway up the stairs. "I'm going to take a shower and catch up on some reading."

"Yeah!" I answer. I go to open the door and there before me is a tall man with dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes. He takes off his hat and I cock an eyebrow. "Howdy ma'am." He says in a heavy twang.

"Can I help you?" I ask crossing one ankle behind the other.

He looks down at a scrap of paper and says. "I am looking for a Cynthia Mass-eye-"

"Massi. With an E sound on the end." I correct. "And you're lookin at her."

He smiles and ask to come in and I let him in. He says his name is Richard Lloyd and that one of my little waitresses made ownin the diner sound so good that he was wonderin if I would be interested in sellin. At first I was like hell no… then I thought about it!

What did I really have invested in the diner anymore? Then the newspaper with the boys caught my eye. The kids weren't in school, there was no reason I couldn't be on the road with Nick and the kids like one big family road trip vacation! I mean who better to get the guys uncomfortable enough to pull their shit together than havin me and the two lil ones around. It was a stroke of pure Fn genius!

I sold Richy the business on the terms that I still owned the buildin and could buy back the business if he ever decided to back out or did a sucko job; it wouldn't just close. So with that being said I was the first Jersey girl to tour with the Four Seasons, even before The Angels; knock off Belleville tramps that they were…

And things went exactly as planned. I made Nick be a husband and father again. First, the four of us tried to share a room with Tommy; since the arrangement was Tommy and Nick to a room and Bob and Frankie to a room; and no one wanted to spend money on a third room. And the big macho men were too homophobic to share a bed.

Tommy wasn't a fan of this; I mean he was good to an extent. He liked the kids, he just didn't like not having the ability to bring girls back to the room; no more than Nick and I liked having no towels.

Meanwhile Bob was going through a depression because of what he had done to Judy and Nick was tryin to cheer him up with a new car; Nicki was very odd when it came to certain things, he liked his shirts ironed twice, worked out and ate at the same time every day; only drank a certain year of whiskey, and when it came to cars…he was crazy!

I remember walking through a car lot with the kids a few feet behind Bob and Nick who was like a kid in a candy store; going from car to car, pouring out car facts.

"Nick, I already have a car." Bob tried to explain, but Nick was havin nothin to do with it.

"Bobby, bobby, bobby a Chevy is transportation what you want is a statement." Nick then runs up to a very slick lookin blue convertible. "You're lookin at the great American wet dream! Those curves, those headlights, that rear end!"

At this I rolled my eyes and says under my breath. "Oh Jesus Christ."

Nick proceeded to follow this rant of stupidity up with "you know what she's sayin? I want you inside me."

Bobby only blinks and backs away sayin. "You really need help."

I snort jokinly. "Boy you got that right." And Nick turned and shot me the dirtiest look.

And this isn't the first time I had gotten this look! Oh no! it was his new thing. It was like he was ashamed and put out because of the kids and me. He loved the kids and he loved me but man he hated not being able to do what the other boys could do. You could just see him cringe when I would ask him to help with the kids or come up to him with the kids, and I do admit the kids did put a damper on a lot. But that was part of being a parent; the kids come first.

I remember when it was Nick told me to go back home. It was in the mornin and he was tryin to figure out an arrangement and the kids were makin a lot of noise.

"Jesus, I can't even hear myself think!" he grumbles takin a drink as Junior was jumpin on the bed screamin with his sister. Nick throws down his pencil and shoots me that look. "Honey can you calm them down?"

I give him the look right back. "Little early to be drinkin don't you think?" I retort and he just rolls his eyes going back to the song. I turn and tell the kids to get off the bed. and as Patti slides her little self off of the bed she accidently bumps the tray Nick was working on and dumps his drink on Bob's song and Nicki loses it….

"Son of a bitch!" he jumps to his feet and picks up the glass. "Look what they did!" he snaps pointing to the song and the few drops that had gotten on the hotel carpet.

"No big deal." I says to him as I go to clean up. "Its a spill, do you know how many spills we've had back at the house-"

But Nick only continues to have a fit. "Gah between Tommy and the kids I'm constantly livin in a sty-"

At this I stand and chuck the damp towel at him. "You say it like it's my fault! The kids and I have been on our toes as not to get that look!" I exclaim.

"You guys have been on YOUR toes?" he scoffs. "The guys are constantly watchin themselves so you don't chew them out! I feel like our fans can't even approach us!'

"Well excuse me Mr. High and Fn mighty!" I bark goin to look out the window; the tension is so thick between us you could cut it with a knife. Nick picks up Patti and stands behind me. "Look, baby." He starts with a soft tone. "I don't wanna be away from the family as much as you guys don't want me too. But I can only do so much. I can't be touring musician, star father and attentive husband. Its not fair, I can't divide my attention and have it be fair." He then kissed my cheek. "Go home. Go home so I can give my all to the group and then come home and give my all to what matters most, my family."

And so, reluctantly so, my first tour with Nick ended after two months. I went back home, got the kids in pre-school and went back to be an awaiting wife; helpin Richy learn the ropes with the diner and what not; tryin not to read anything into the press pictures anymore, just keep pluggin along until the guys got home…

I did go on tour again with the guys one other time; about ten years later… but that is a story for another time…

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**here it is! I've had it halfway done for about three days and have been putting off finishing it because I am drawing a blank as to what to write next and other matters :( hopefully it won't be to long until an idea strikes :) thank you guys so much for waiting**

**as always reviews are loved :)**


	18. Trouble, Trouble, Trouble (Joey)

**Joey**

Hi everyone! Its me, Joey; scrawny little kid from the bowlin alley; big movie star! Gooodfellas, Home Alone 1 and 2, My Cousin Vinny!... remember me?...anyway.

Even if I'm not the guy you came here to see I can offer you another point of view. Like that fairy guy in that Shakespeare play; I watched these crazy people! This one wants that one, that ones mad at this one, this one is chasin after this one and all that bullshit… but more on that later.

Lets rewind a moment back to when Nick and Cynthia were just up at bat. There are a few questions I think should be answered, and I'm gonna be the one that answers them. They were once the Bob and Judy of Bellville you know, high school sweethearts. Back then the gang was Nick, Tommy and this kid named Chino Bosco.

Yes the same Chino whose name has been scattered here and there. This is his story as much as it is Nick and Cynthia's.

Chino Bosco was a real odd fella; quiet and skinny, kinda dirty too and real nervous. I met him in cooking class in 8th grade. He was a good cook too, if not for how off puttin he was I think everyone would have wanted to be his partner.

I dunno. Well one day I get stuck with this kid as my "buddy" in class and I watch him; just watch and wonder what his deal is? Like why is he so odd and I dunno odd, like no one ever paid him any attention odd! So when the bell rings I collect my shit and I decide to follow this kid….

So we're walkin down the sidewalk; me at a few paces behind and Chino looks back and sees me! He knows I'm there! I know that he knows that I know that he knows I'm there and yet he keeps on walkin, even as I got beside him he didn't bat an eye. "Pesci." He greets calmly in that nosily voice. "Why you followin me?" he asked.

I shrug and tuck my hands in my lettermen. "I wanna see why people avoid you. You F'ed up in the head or somethin?" I ask bluntly. "I mean no offence but you smell funny and you wear the same outfit."

Chino only shrugged. "So you're askin if I'm mental?"

At this I nod chomping on my toothpick. He only gives me a silly sideways grin. "I'm worst then mental; I'm a foster kid."

I stop dead in my tracks as I try to process this information. "A foster?" I repeat.

"Yeah, its one step down from orphan." He laughs kicking a rock. "not knowin from one day to the next who your parents are gonna be, what kinda crap you are gonna be dealt, what foster siblings you are gonna be torn away from. If your lucky you might get parents who give a crap bout you and buy you new things." He pauses and then continues. "Me, nah; I'm just money comin in."

I scratch my chin puzzled. "Why haven't you told anyone?" I question. "Cause, no one asked.." was the answer.

We started becomin pals he and I. I told him about me; how I wanted to break into the film business or maybe do a vaudeville-style comedy act with another one of my friends. And Chino knew all this; he knew a lot of things; since he was so quiet and all and he was so quiet because he had it rough when he was young from one abusive family to the next; you know, his recent foster family had agreed to keep him until the last day of high school which would have been in about five years at the time.

But for every cloud there is a silver linin and his was Margie Cynthia Tattaglia . one day Chino climbs up a tree outside of the high school, over lookin the football field and tells me to join him; so I do very reluctantly and he points out to left field. "True beauty." He says.

I squint into the sun to make out what he was lookin at. "Cheerleaders?" I question. "You brought me here to look at a bunch of cheerleaders?"

"No!" he exclaims. "Just her, just the brunette to the far right, just Cynthia." He pauses. "I'm in love with her Joey, I have been for a long time."

"Now I know you're Fn crazy." I say bulging my eyes and laying myself out on a branch to watch the cheer routine. Chino taps me on the shoulder and I turn my head towards him. "What?" I says to him.

"I'm in love with her." He repeats.

"I know." I say. "I heard you."

"But not in the way you think Joe." He continues. "She's too old for me and too good for me, but I would do anything for her. She saved my ass once, she saw some kids beating on me and she swept in and saved me. I'm in love with what she stands for; speakin her mind and all. You know her daddy is assistant manager at Mel's, when the old man who owns it dies, he'll get it."

I listen to Chino only half interested and then I snort. "Why are you tellin me this huh? And why are we up in a tree, why aren't we in the bleachers like, I dunno, NORMAL PEOPLE?" I shout, he only smiles and points down; a few feet away a group of guys make their way under the tree and Chino puts his hands to his lips to tell me to shut it.

There, below us was a young Nick Massi, Nick Devito and his kid brother Tommy (who would end up to be a real pain in my ass later) and they just stood there watchin like Chino and I.

"This is stupid." Whined Tommy puttin his back against the tree. "Why cant you just call her?"

Nick Massi cracked his knuckles and cleared his throat. "Cause I wanna look at her! I just wanna look at her." He says back as his eyes continuously linger on the little brunette doing high kicks. His eyes are soft as he memorizes her every movement, her every breath like she is the only thing on this earth, and suddenly her eyes meet his and she smiles; you could almost see the weight that her smile had lifted off Nicki.

"Okay." Tommy groans. "You've seen her, now lets go!" his brother smacked him on the back of the head. "Ouch!" Tommy yelped, rubbin the spot. "I have a point! Her looks aren't gonna change. Pom-poms looks like every other girl! Tits and ass."

Nicki turned and glared. "Watch your Fn mouth okay Tommooch!" he shot, with a look likely to kill. "Maybe when you meet the right girl you'll understand. When I look at her I don't just see another girl; I see the world, my whole world and everythin that is comfortin and worth livin for, so just shut your damn mouth."

Chino and I exchange a look…. And then suddenly, I understood. Chino hadn't brought me there to see Cynthia at all; he had brought me there to see love! In these times and in our neighborhood a guy couldn't just gush out the way he felt, that's part of the reason the Four Seasons songs were so popular! They were songs about girls for guys. The songs like My Eyes Adored You said everythin a fella wanted to say but couldn't. but in this moment Nick was a rare exception to the macho culture.

Chino had wanted to show me their love! Like I said he was an odd duck; but man was he dedicated to Cynthia and Nick. He was there for every moment; when they were married, when the kids were born, he even went out with Joyce when he didn't want to all because of his devotion to Cynthia. He was even there when they got off their first tour, but then again… so was I.

It was March 24th, almost a whole year since they had been home or at least the other three, we saw Frankie Christmas day. Anyway, it was lunch time in the diner which basically meant anyone who didn't work there could leave although most people took the closed sign as more of a suggestion, and the people who did work there could do whatever the hell they wanted.

Everyone decided to stay that lunch hour and by everyone I mean me, Judy Parker, Rich Lloyd, Joycie, Chino and Cynthia who was back as manager, makin Lloyd second in command. Everyone seemed to just laze during that time; like the dust particles floating in the sunlight of the window

I sat with Parker at the bar readin the paper about the latest update on the uprising group The Beatles, as Parker worked elegant fingers to make little swans out of the straw papers. In front of us Rich was chopping green onions at a slow yet steady, chop, chop, chop. There was no music playing just peaceful chopin.

Cynthia looked up from the booth she sat at with the kids as they drew in a tired haze. Joyce exited the back office to be met with Cynthia's questioning eyes. "The bank statements?" Cynthia asked.

"As good as done." Replied Joyce pinching the bridge of her nose as her eyes were sore, she had basically gotten a promotion to handle the financial stuff of the diner. Cynthia nodded and looked back at the drawings her kids were doing.

Joyce made her way back behind the bar and nudged Rich, he looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You are slower than molasses." She said calmly taking over chopping the onions.

Rich frowned and made his way over to the stool next to me and plopped down. "Got the funny paper on you?" he asked and I slid the comics over to him absent mindedly. He's silent for a moment and then slaps his knee laughing. "That Maramaduke is a hoot! Remind me to tell Papa about this one!"

"Doesn't he have an appointment soon?" asked Parker with a sigh as she made yet another paper swan for her growin flock.

"I already told you." Reminded Joyce. "He has an appointment the day before you do your first recording with the Crystals. I'm going to take him to his appointment at two and then take you, Cynthia and Mama Devito to get our nails done."

"I'll pass on the nails." Said Cynthia. "They just chip anyway."

Parker looked back and nodded. "That's why we only get French tips, and you can always just get your hair done." She then shot a look at her waitress friend. "get rid of that dated ponytail!"

Joyce rolled her eyes and laughed. "I am not getting one of those beehive looking hair dos! I'm not gonna pay to set my hair and I actually like to wash my hair more than once a week, thank you."

"Are your godparents still thinkin about Florida?" I says desperately wanting to change the subject, Rich eyes brightened seeing the opportunity to yak my ear off. "Yes sir, Ms. Joyce's godparents are still thinking about moving to Florida! I'm trying to talk Papa and Mama De-veet-toe into looking into it themselves and-"

"Ok Billy Bob or Billy Joe or whatever your name is I don't need the whole story, cause your just gonna go off on one of your back on the farm stories and I don't need that!"

At this Parker chuckles. "Very funny Joey."

I turn to her and says. "Funny? Funny how?"

Suddenly Cynthia looks out the window and gets to her feet. "Holy Fn Shit!" she announces. "The guys! It's the guys!" it was a surprise.

At this we all turn to Judy who is standin, shakin as her eyes fall on Bob, she had been doing so well with her emotions in the past month, takin pottery classes and doing some recording in the studio as an executive producer and now here she was again on the brink of a relapse seeing Bob for the first time.

Joyce touched her arm gently as Judy's eyes welled up with tears. "We don't have to stay." Joyce whispered. "We can go if your not ready."

Judy nodded as a sob of anger escaped her lips and she buried her face in her hands. Everyone was sore seein Judy all broke up like this. The boys came in just as the two girls went out the back and there was silence….. everythin just felt wrong. Awkward and still.

Chino who had been cleaning off tables the whole time crossed the room coolly and sang under his breath. "I'm about to whip somebody's ass." And he nearly slammed the office door shut.

I knew right then some serious shit was about to go down in Jersey….

* * *

**thought I'd try something a little different and give some of the minor characters some spotlight and some Nick/Cynthia. fun fact; Margie was the name of Nick's real wife so I decided too make Cynthia her middle name and so goes by her middle name...or at least in the world of fanfic. up next I think will be Judy...**

**please review :)**


	19. Meglio StaseraBetter Be Tonight (Joyce)

**Joyce**

Judy leaned heavily against me sobbing as I guided her into her apartment, I led her to the big cream arm chair as her body shook, I turned on the lamp and bit back my own feelings as her face sunk into the arm of the chair; all that progress…

Her face lifted a little and she said something inaudible. Regretfully I had to ask her to repeat what she said because the pitch of her voice was too high for even dogs to hear. She took a shaky breath "I said I saw him and all I could think of was that chippie."

I nodded with understanding and poured us both a glass of water and she continued in broken breaths. "I mean was she prettier than me? Was she taller than me? Was she younger than me? What?" she questioned as her mascara ran down her face in streaks and snot somewhat gathered under her nose. I pursed my lips and got a tissue from the coffee table and joined her on the floor, holding the tissue up to her nose and telling her to blow.

She looked at me like I was crazy. "I can blow my own nose." She reminds, snatching the tissue away and I laugh a little. "Just making sure." I then clear my throat. "I'm sure who ever she was wasn't taller or younger, I mean your practically a skyscraper and the girl would have to be illegal."

Judy sat up and pulled herself together a little taking a swig of water and sighing. "Why are men so crazy about sex?" she questioned. "I mean is it really all that?"

I shrugged pouring another glass of water. "I dunno." I answer. "You are asking a girl who hasn't been kissed in a while." Her mouth flew open a bit. "You?" she gocked. "How long?"

"A year maybe two." I say. "Dating has not really been top priority."

"Oh you know what I love?!" Judy beamed, ignoring me. "Those kisses that are real slow and sensual, but sweet at the same time." she props her head on her hand and I can see her daydream. "Bobby was real good at that." Her face drops a little again as I go to the window and look down. "Do you think Bob kissed that chippie like that?" she asked.

I take the lace curtain in my hand only to see none other than Bob getting out of his car; going for his trunk for his keyboard, I cock an eyebrow slightly as Bob sees me and motions for me to put the window up. "No." I answer Judy. "I like to think that guys save the slow, sweet sensual kisses for the ones they truly love."

"JUDY!" Bobby calls up, forming a trumpet with his hands. "JUDY!"

Judy gets to her feet and eyes me cautiously; parting her lips. "Ask him what he wants." She instructs me and I do so, opening and leaning out the window. "What do you want Gaudio?"

"I want to see Judy."

I pull my head back in for a signal and she shakes her head, I lean my head back out. "No such luck tonight Bobby." His face drops in disappointment like a child with a busted balloon and I cant help but feel sorry for the kid. "Tell her I'm really-really-really sorry, like never been more sorry in my life sorry." He pauses and I see Judy step forward and touched a hand over her heart as the sound of his voice started to melt her heart. "it was stupid! It was so stupid and pear pressure and I'm just so, really-really-really sorry."

Judy shakes herself out of it and huffs, crossing her arms. I chuckle a little. "Put a few more reallys before the sorry and I think you might make some headway." At this Judy smacks my forearm and glares down hard at me. "Don't encourage him!" she warns. "Just go back to the diner. I don't need help!" she snips.

I start to protest but she shoes me away. As I walk down the stairs I can hear Bob sing to her and by the time I had gotten to the street he was soaking wet from a glass of water Judy had dumped on him from her window.

The diner was empty when I got back to it; everyone had left to go celebrate and left the diner for me to close up. I went to the jukebox and absentmindedly slipped a quarter into the slot and just let the music swell in my little moonlit café. I walked through the tables folding my arms across my chest not bothering with the chairs. I had let things get ahead of me again and I was all alone because of it.

If I had slowed down, if I had stayed for maybe a few more moments I might have had a chance to see them. Its funny, you can try and be a bandage and help everyone the best you can and still get left behind. I looked for a note or an invitation to go join everyone but none were to be found. I sat down at a table by a window and looked out at the lonely moon that was looking back at me.

It had felt like the first time I had actually sat in months; my limbs felt heavy and I rested my head on my hand; my eyes closed in relaxation little knowing that the winds of change were coming again.

Later that night I found a hole in the back office wall angrily placed there by Chino. He was vexed by the tour and what he had felt it had done to all us girls back home, especially Cynthia and the kids; he was beginning to think Nick abandon them for the whole of that year forgetting that Cynthia had been with them on the tour for a good quarter of it. But his frustration was starting to show in the diner and in his work. Chino would get snippy with co-workers and customers, banging plates together when he would clean off tables and muttering under his breath whenever Nick or Bob or Frankie would come around that they had failed their families in one way or another.

Bobby would usually come in once or twice a day to ask me questions about how to get Judy to talk to him or when she started talking to him again he would pest me about what cute little things he could do to make "more headway" as we would call it.

On top of this Mary is hiding booze in the Valli home and with the Four Seasons back in one spot Jersey and the diner itself was flooded with a whole new crowd…tourist! It felt like thousands of people would come in and out each day; there was nowhere to breathe, nowhere to move, faces started to look unfamiliar and everyone tended to agree that it felt like we had strangers in our home. Even for me everything felt rushed, hurried. More plates of food would be sent back and we tended to get more complaints because no one seemed to know which way was up anymore.

Tommy and I hardly spoke within the first few weeks; we saw each other from a distance and that was about it. I hadn't called him back since Christmas, I didn't know why, I guess some part of me was on guard on what he might say, or better still what I might say. But that all changed on one night.

"He wants to see you."

Kaitlin one of the other little waitresses stated tapping my shoulder motioning her eyes to outside into the dining area I leant back as I buttoned the final button of my dress, there was Tommy. I shook my head. "It's been a long day." I say. "Tell him not tonight."

Kaitlin looked remorseful and then went out to relay the message and suddenly I heard his voice; loud and frustrated and dripping with that silk Jersey accent. "Tell her I'm not leaving this diner until I Fn see her. You tell her, miss princess Joyce, Tommy Devito doesn't get put on any waitin list, I'll stay here all night if I have too-"

I saw Kaitlin shrink back as the tone of his voice increased, I felt sorry for Kaitlin not having known that his bark was worse than his bite.

I emerged from the back office and met his eyes steadfastly and he got to his feet. "You wanted to see me Tommy?" I say softly, softer then I intended.

"I've wanted to see you since Christmas!" He corrected.

"I couldn't make it then." I reply and then our attention is drawn to little Kaitlin who stands next to us. Tommy withdrew a twenty from his wallet and told her to get lost and she did. "Not tonight?" He asked. "What is that about?" He leant back on his heels and I lowered my eyes.

"I'm tired that's all." I pause. "Get you a beer? "

He puts his hand to his lips and shakes his head. "I don't wanna beer Joycie. I wanna know why the hell you've been avoidin me?"

"I haven't been avoiding you Tommy, I've just been busy." I say as he slowly crosses the room.

"Then why did you cut out when we got to the diner? Or return any of my calls? We haven't talked since Christmas and I wanna know why."

I clear my throat and begin to put the chairs up and instinctively he helps. "I had to go help Judy, she was pretty riled up." I begin to explain.

"And the phone calls?" He presses on.

I put another chair up on a table and met his eyes through the heart shape of the wooden chair. "I haven't been home or at nicks to receive any messages... I've been with your father."

Tommy's eyes darkened and he tore himself away, I stepped towards him. "I heard... About Easter. Why didn't you go in?"

Tommy looks down at his fingers with an unreadable look, his profile is as strong as ever, captivating as he puts a cigarette between his lips signifying that this was the answer I was going to get.

" he needs his son Tommy." I find myself almost pleading.. "He's getting better, he only has small motor skill problems and with a little more work that will go away too-"

me off. "He has eight other kids, I don't see them jumpin up to help." He snaps trying to defend himself and then his tone drops to blatant honesty. "I wouldn't be of any help Joycie...I...I wouldn't know what to do, for Christ sakes I just upset the man."

"What about your mother?" I ask and he doesn't respond, he only goes over to the new jukebox and flips through the songs. He was burying his head in the sand, and it hurt me deeply. "You said the Parker girl was upset." He mused. "Why?"

"Why?" I repeat in disbelief of the question. "Jesus Tommy why do you think?"

He shrugs and I feel my anger begin to peak as he innocently played the fool I knew he wasn't. "Don't play dumb with me Tommy, I know you too well." I say flatly and it clearly amuses him, it always did when I would sass someone because no one would expect it from a doll like me or so he had told me. He turns on his heel.

"And what prey tell would you say to me if I didn't truly know what you were talkin about?" Tommy countered.

"Have your eyes checked." I suck in a breath as he turns away again. "Tommy it hurts girls when men cheat, it hurts real bad and-"

"Cant we just have a civil conversation huh? Christ, haven't seen you in months and the first thing we have to do is point out everythin that is going wrong? I will handle what I need to handle!" Tommy interrupts and I bit my lip with a mix of emotions. "You are real good with my dad." He finally says, his voice is softer and it takes me by surprise. "So you have seen him?" I ask.

"Yeah." He nods. "He thinks you and that cowboy are the best thing since vanilla ice cream; Ma was right the stroke has changed him, he's less of a son of a bitch."

I turn away and fight a smile. "That couldn't have been easy for you…. Thank you."

Tommy grunts in response and then turns to face me head on. He looks me over and smiles. "You changed your hair." He noted. "Back to blonde I see."

I grinned and nodded touching a curl. "I thought I would try and go back to my natural color. Judy got blonde highlights and cut hers" I laugh and continue "she said Roy Orbison even commented on her hair at the studio. And she practically held a gun to my head to get a French twist."

He crosses his arms. "I like it blonde it makes you look more angel than human." He said this in his leading tone that lacked sincerity but not charm. It alarms me and he snickers. "You sure have grown up Joycie." He says out of nowhere. "You're not a kid anymore."

I laugh nervously. "I haven't been a kid for a while now Tommy."

He meets my eyes confidently, and breathes. "Then you know what comes next…"

I honestly had not a clue as to what he was talking about. It takes me aback when he kisses me; roughly, cupping my face between his hands at first and then wrapping one arm around my waist holding me against him. After a moment of shock the kiss softens and I find myself giving in, relenting to his touch and his lips massaging mine skillfully. My eyes shut and my hands find themselves flesh against his chest, my body responding to his without any thought. We break the kiss for air and I look into those blue eyes questioningly. "Kiss me again Joyce." He whispers coolly and completely in command as he embraces me fully in passion, my mind races with urges long suppressed.

"No." I chook out; taking us both by surprise. "No." I repeat breaking away from him and he stares at me opened mouthed. "No?" he asks, before anger strikes him. "No you don't wanna kiss me?"

I try and collect my thoughts but it is nearly impossible, and the lack of answer makes him more on edge. "What the hell do you mean by no? well this is Fn fantastic, I wait four Fn years to kiss you, four Fn years and you say no? I wait like a Fn poodle on a leash for you to grow up, till I feel the time is perfect, till YOU are ready and you say no?"

I shake my head. "I can't, our friendship, it means too much." It's all I can manage to say; I knew kissing him again would be self-destructive; I could only picture myself as another call girl; he could not stay true to anything, I knew that; but every other part of me wanted to say yes. I clear my throat to try and reason with him. "Tommy, there is too much going on right now for us to start anything like this."

There was some more heated argument and then he left and I thought that maybe it was over between him and I for good; after all he would make sure to see his parents when I wasn't there and he and Rich started to become friends which was to be expected because Tommy had got his start with Country music so the draw was already there…

I kept tabs on my old friend through Rich and I think…. I know Tommy did the same. Rich was our monkey in the middle, go between for a good chunk of time. We never told anybody except Mama Devito about the kiss we had shared in the diner that night; in fact, no one even really cared to notice the lack of time we had spent together.

Oh but I did miss him. The guys still did some local things like clubs and secretly I would always hide in the back row just to watch. During this time Nicki was taking a break from the group and this kid named Joe Long filled in for him and him and Tommy would just steal the show with how funny they were. They did this bit where they would try and tell the audience what was on Frankie's mind when he sang… Tommy would say the most obscene things. It was something about Tommy that no one really noted but me; he was macho yes, but he would do almost anything for a laugh. It reminded me of the time he taught me to drive his car; it was a tense time for both of us; he would yell at me "just take the damn thing out of park" and I would yell at him; the car would go and stop and there would be more yelling but during the interim of it all we never stopped laughing; even with how frustrated we were.

I would have given anything to go back to those times and somehow I did. I remember it was a warm day; warm enough to be on my hands and knees to plant some petunias under the window of the living room of the Devito home.

The dirt felt cool in my hands as the sun beat down hot on my skin. I could hear the AC on full blast in the house yet Mama Devito still fanned herself with her hand. I wiped the sweat from my brow when suddenly a small obscure object shadowed me. "Meow."

It was Michi. Mama Devito's brown and white tabby cat; he looked down at me from the sill as he rubbed against a flower pot. I smiled and reached up my fingers. "Michi venire qui" I say softly; the cat only understood Italian; it literally didn't respond to any other language; it wasn't very old and it was without a doubt attached to Mama Devito.

Michi bend his head down and touched his cool nose to my fingertips and I giggle.

"Michi venire qui, sbrigare!" I jump at the sound of a voice behind me and I turn. My eyes meet his and I wonder if he knew it was me before I turned around. "Hello Tommy." I greet.

Tommy gives me a curt nod and then looks at the cat again. "I speak Italian and the damn thing still doesn't come." He remarks. I fold my hands in my lap and look at them. "it rather favors your mother." I reply hoping to break the awkwardness but to no avail.

Tommy tucks his hands in his pant pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels, I can see my reflection in his sunglasses. "You, uh, look pretty today Joycie."

At this I laugh; I knew he had no idea what else to say because I was sweaty, my hair was flat and I was covered in dirt but I thanked him anyway. I hold out my hand to him and give him a half smile that I can only hope is welcoming. "Mind helping me up?"

"Nah, not at all." He says pulling me to my feet; our hands linger together for a moment and he pulls away. "Um how are the wedding plans going? For Bob and Judy I mean."

I grin at the attempted small talk because at this point it was better than what I had been getting which was nothing. "Good." I say. "The reception is going to be exciting; Roy Orbison and The Supremes are going to perform."

He nods again. "Should have known, Gaudio and The Supremes really hit it off on the set of Beach Ball. Nice girls. Should be a good movie too"

We were silent again as a breeze picked up rustling the leaves of the canopied elm in the front yard. I look at him and my smile fades. "Chino is off to Nam after the wedding." I say dropping my eyes, Tommy rings his hands and bites his lip; feeling the exact same way I did when I heard it first hand from Chino, absolutely sick. "Scary to think of that little stugotz all the way over there." Tommy voices and I nod unhappily. "The little putts is what brought us together in the first place, my hand to God best date I ever chaperoned."

I suck in a breath; he places my sadness and slips a comforting arm around me telling me to "come here", we hug each other having a complete and mutual understanding that we both wanted to just go back to the way things were before the tour, realizing that not everything had to be bigger and better, that we can just live and be for a while.

During this there is a crash alongside of us and we both become startled and draw our attention to the house. There was Michi, standing wide eyed on the windowsill. He had pushed the flowerpot crashing to the sidewalk as he was rubbing against it. It was in a thousand orange pieces now and I realize I would have been right under it if I hadn't had moved. "The cat thinks its an Fn Greek now!" I muse. "Its breaking stuff! It's a damn Italian Greek cat!"

At this Tommy only smiled, raises his arms and says animatedly "Aye Marone!"

And we both laugh.

**THEY FINALLY KISS! I wasn't expecting to do another TommyJoycie chapter so soon but hey! the cats bit is from actually from a podcast I heard from the real Tommy! my birthday's tomorrow yay! yay kiss!**

**tell me what you guys thought about this one**

**Bob and Judy are seriously up next**


	20. Pretty Woman (Judy)

**Judy**

It wasn't easy getting over the hotel chippie. In fact even when Bobby got back and we started up again I never fully put him back on his pedestal, or I tried not too anyway, but failed. Its funny the other girls had such an equal balance point, so in control and intact, so take them or leave them, loud and I was just the emotional pendulum of the group. The difference between loud and emotional; loud was a sign of any healthy Italian woman; but I wasn't Italian so when I voiced my opinions it was just sheer emotion.

The girls thought I was looney when I added blonde streaks in my hair, I wanted to make a statement both physically and other wise to tell Bob and the others that I was a changed woman; that I wasn't going to lay down and take this. I was a modern woman just like my mother and her mother before her; I was going to be hip and cool. Make myself look good and yet unavailable to Bob.

Mary Valli glared at me from the nail station as I turned from left to right in the mirror looking at my tall frosted bouffant on the top of my head like a crown, her lips flared as she asked. "You can make a whole day of just being here and shopping?"

"Mhm." I mused touching the back of my neck.

"Pitiful." Mary growled. Mrs. Valli wasn't an out and about sort of woman at least not in the girlish sort of way; she much preferred the night scene but the salon we were at didn't take too kindly to cancelations so I guess it was nice for her to take Cynthia's place when she and Nick had decided to take the kids to the zoo with Frankie. She had decided to give Frankie and the girls a daddy daughter day… or so she said… she also said that if she wanted to hang around smelly animals she could just go see Tommy.

Crewe stood in-between two hair dryers with that mischievous grin on his face; it was funny. Here was a guy who was nearly perfect! He sung on two albums of his own, he wrote hits like Silhouettes and Candy Girl, third teenage heartthrob only next to Paul Anka and Ricky Nelson and he was happy just to be leaning against a wall of a salon reading Vogue fashion tips out loud. I don't think any of us girls didn't wish he swung the other way, he was such a sweet talented man all be it not a diva at times.

"Ok ladies listen up!" he announced. "Mrs. Jackie Kennedy says that big buttoned jackets are in and hats! Lots and lots of hats!" he laughs and then sighs. "She is such a dream! Speaking of Judy look sharp today; Mr. Roy Orbison is gracing our humble studio this week."

And Roy Orbison did come that week or was it a week later? I was back with Bob at that time. oh I have no concept of time… before I get side tracked let me tell you about my first date with Bob after the tour.

Well as I said I had wanted to be aloof but whenever I was around Bob or heard his voice my walls just fell away; even when I dumped the water on his head when he was singing Crying (also a Roy Orbison song) I felt bad about it…. Anyway, anyway our first date back together!

It was pretty nerve racking; I stayed pretty quiet at first and he cleared his throat a lot, loosening and straightening his tie; I suppose it didn't help that it was in the diner where all eyes were on us! I did that for moral support.

Bob held up a spoon like a mirror and ran a hand through his hair. I sat with my head on my hand looking at him; it took him a moment to realize I was watching him. He half smiled. "Sorry." He blushes. "I want to look nice for you." He admits and I wanted to say "like you did for that chippie" but I didn't. his eyes brighten as he adds. "It also reminds me of a one of those carnival mirrors."

"Really?" I questioned cocking an eyebrow; this being the first real topic of the evening.

"Yeah!" Bob confirmed. "You should try it!"

So I pick up the spoon and hold it up to the light; looking at my face in the back of the silver utensil; it was stretched and my eyes budged and I started to giggle. "You're right!" I say. "It is like a carnival mirror!"

I start making faces into the spoon and feeling impassioned Bob whisk himself next to me in the booyh and joined me in my silly face making. At this time Joyce brought our colas to the table and watched us with a more than amused expression. Cynthia came up to her after a moment questioning why she was just standing there.

"What are you doing?" she asked; Joyce only nodded towards Bobby and I. "Do you think that maybe they are on drugs? Should I be worried?" Joyce asked pointing a finger. Mrs. Massi cocked her head and pursed her lips as she studied our antics, then shrugged. "Nah, I think its one of those mating rituals like at the zoos with the chimpanzees and the orangutans. Jerseys very own primates; Chimpy and Chumpy! Now get back to work. Pretty soon they'll be flingin pooh!"

It was funny about that monkey remark because, you see after dinner we went back to my apartment and talked; just talked on my yellow sofa… well I had this pet parakeet named Tiki…well it was my brother's bird before it was mine and he and his wife who was afraid of birds went to march in DC with Martin Luther King Junior (I have a very modern activist family) anyway; they left Tiki with me and never picked him back up once they came back, therefore Tiki became my bird.

Anyway, we go back to my place to talk and canoodle; the room was dimly lit we had mood music like Cry to Me and My Girl, oh it was so romantic! My legs thrown over his; no shoes, looking into each other's face, I could count the different shades in those big beautiful brown eyes like honey and gold...

So Tiki had been flying around, since I didn't really like putting him in his cage and apparently Tiki had pooped on the back of the couch and Bob had accidentally put his hand in the pooh… and in what was meant to be a sweet gesture he went to caress my cheek and accidentally rubbed bird poop on my face which mortified both of us. But our friends got a real kick out of it.

Anyway, back to Mr. Orbison! The Four Seasons were recording Marlena in one studio and I was recording He's a Rebel…

Well at least three of the Four Seasons were trying to record Marlena and I had three very annoyed CrystalS in the recording studio because I had the fourth Season kissing on my neck and shoulder in the corner. I was like a giggly school girl asking him to stop but not really meaning it.

LaLa Brooks the lead singer of The Crystals spoke into the microphone irately. "Can we maybe get started?" she demanded with a perfectly manicured hand on her hip. They were like most girl groups; glamorous voices, glamorous modern clothes and glamorous attitudes. I squirmed my way out of Bobby's armS long enough to tell the group I would only be a moment more, only to have Bob pull me into another kiss.

Just then; who should come busting through the door but the other three Seasons. Nick pointed at their keyboardist with a profound look of triumph. "See I told you he couldn't have been goin to the bathroom again!"

"Very good Sherlock." Tommy waltzed into the studio rolling his eyes, unimpressed by Nick's findings. "Where Fn else would he Fn be."

Frankie ran a hand down his face as he took his place next to a dejected Nick; Frankie was starting to get miffed by the way his guitarist acted in public, better than anyone else, better than any social rules. Frankie put a gratifying hand on Nick's shoulder as a gesture of acknowledgement. "You did good Nicki. Hey Tommy watch your mouth you're in the presents of ladies."

Tommy cast a glance at the three women through the glass wall and rocked back on his heels, tucking his hands in his pockets with that assy smile on his lips. "Look, the Supremes! Hey Diana remember me?"

LaLa snapped her fingers the way that only starlets can. "Excuse me! Oh honey I know you did not just confuse me with Diana Ross!"

Tommy shrugged cockily, trying to be cute. "I dunno, you colored girl groups all look alike."

. Well… between that statement and how long I took with Bobby just blew that recording session out of the water. They fired me and then gave the song to another guy Gene and I was stuck with the short end of the stick because of asshole Tommy being the piggish prick he always was. I hated him; I think everyone did! He was like a pimple on your butt that you just can't get rid of, gah I hated Tommy!

I slumped myself downheartedly in one of the seats by the water cooler in the hall a sigh escaped my lips catching the attention of the other person in the opposite side of the water cooler. He leant forward and offered me a smile, a red guitar resting on his lap, a dark set of sunglasses resting on the bridge on his nose. "Howdy." He greeted.

I sat forward and took in another breathe and lolled my head to one side ready to engage myself in polite conversation. "Ever have one of those days?" I asked the mysterious stranger who dared to wear sunglasses indoors.

We talked for a good hour and a half. He told me that he was a country rock singer and that he mostly did his recordings in peaceful Nashville but his tour brought him to New York; and a lack of inspiration had brought him to the studio, just to listen and talk to some producers for ideas.

He told me "They want me to do this one song, and it has the gumption to be great! But to me it just falls flat in the lyrics." He positioned his guitar and withdrew a pick from his coat pocket.

"have a listen.

Lonely lady walkin down the street

Lonely lady the kind I like to meet

Lonely lady."

I crinkled my nose seeing what he meant about the falling flat thing. I put my head in my hand and mulled it over skewing my lips deep in thought. "Why does the woman have to be lonely in the song?" I muse aloud. "If the guy in the song ask her if she's lonely just like him later on in the chorus… why can't she just be pretty? A pretty woman."

"Pretty Woman." He repeats with a smile, standing. "Pretty Woman….I love it!" he holds out his hand for me to shake. "Judy Parker." I say;

The man grins again and I see him wink from under his glasses. "Folks call me Roy…" my breath catches as he leans in to me. "I think you just wrote me a hit, Miss Judy."

**hi guys! I've missed you! sorry it took so long! here's the next Bob/Judy! I hope you guys like their silly romance! I think Mary or Cynthia is next**

**please review**


	21. Lover's Concerto (Cynthia)

**Cynthia**

Out of all the girls I thought I would be the last to be caught in a bullshit love triangle thing! Let alone with Chino and having two kids. But I suppose given everything that happened before Nick got home… I mean I knew Chino always had a little thing for me, but it really got bad when Junior broke his arm at school before the guys got home.

I always thought monkey bars were dangerous…. Anyway. I was at the diner when I got the call from the school nurse. We were distributin the new-new uniforms because Richy's blue jean red checked shirt uniforms just were stupid lookin and unreasonable for hot weather, so the cute little functional blue dresses were back in!

Chino was the one who answered the phone and told me what had happened. I let him drive me to the school too because I may not have showed it but I was a nervous wreck that my baby got hurt and I wasn't around. I think Chino sensed this because he looked at me in the rearview mirror and he says to me softly. "Don't worry, he's tough just like his mother." His eyes looked real tender, real sweet in that moment like melted chocolate or somethin…

Anyway, once little Nick's arm was in a cast with a sling to boot Chino and him took to each other like parmesan on spaghetti. Chino was always around doing something with Junior or even Patti, playing dolls, reading to them and he said and did the sweetest things… I always had a full vase of flowers on the table, dinner was always made, house was always clean. Not that I would ever think bout touchin another man, it was just nice. Cause you do get lonely and I was no longer hangin out with Mary Valli because all we seemed to do was drink and it got to a point where it was just too much and too pathetically sad, so I quit the bottle; so all there was too life was laundry and cooking and thinkin bout what to cook and buying stuff to cook and planning what the kids would take to school for lunch. Come to think of it 99 percent of my day persisted of thinkin about food! AND I OWNED A DINER!

So it was just nice having another set of hands around the house, but apparently Chino took it more as "my husband's not home why don't you step right in as husband and father if you're not doing anythin else". And stupid me, I didn't catch it until he actually punched a hole in the wall of the diner outta jealousy and he was tense when we all went to Strands.

So now the kids had two men tryin to act as dad. Patti preferred Nicki which was good, but little Nick he liked Chino better… he was about six now and was on the Bellville junior little league team and he was the pitcher; well he hit a homerun that won one of the games and instead of runnin into the open arms of his proud father he ran to "Uncle Chino".

It hurt Nicki, it hurt Nicki real bad. I mean Nick is not one to harp on things but he talked about it for weeks, every night before bed it was "how he failed as a father" and he would smite his chest and say "how he felt like a knife had been plunged in his heart when his own boy picked that awkward bastard over him".

Well, this sparked another one of Nick's "leavin the group" attempts. It was like watchin someone try to jump off a high dive into a cold pool, he'd get so far and chicken out, he'd get so far and chicken out! Nicki must have tried to leave the group what, 16 times maybe in a ten year time period.

This meant that Calello was back in. Who's Calello? Charlie Calello was Nick's replacement way before Joe Long! Actually Charlie was in the Four Lovers when Nick was on one of his early leave the group sprees, before Sherry was even a thought in Gaudio's head. So in short; Charlie replaced Nick who replaced Charlie who replaced Nick again who was later replaced by Long.

The funny thing is; none of the original Seasons were classically trained; but these guys, Calello and Long were like forget about it! Long only left playin classical music cause of a hand injury and Calello was so good he would later arrange a song written by Gaudio for Frank Fn Sinatra! No joke! Calello worked with the bigs, Bobby Vinton, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Streisand, Manilow. I mean the guy was good!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Its funny what weddings, good weddings can do to people. A wedding is basically a joining of two families or just people in general. Bobby and Judy's wedding joined a lot of things together. Their wedding was the first time Frankie met Loraine and us three girls; we came together, me, Judy and Joycie.

I had never really cared for Judy before this to be honest and I had thought the same went for her, but when she asked me to be a bridesmaid well that just all fell away. Suddenly, I was like her new best friend! She had all these questions about "how to be a wife" and "what to do as a wife" like it was a test she had to study for or somethin. She was around me all the time! even though I told her it was just natural!

With her proposal in may Judy had wanted to be an November bride for the fall colors; pumpkin orange, creamy white and sunflower yellow…mostly yellow, man that girl loved her yellow.

But she was your typical bride; excited and bouncy, even more so excited because she was actually going to have more than a cake, punch and coffee reception.

Their rehearsal dinner was of course at the diner. So we spent the whole day before decorating and sitting around drinking ice tea.

"Can you believe that tomorrow I'll be Mrs. Bob Gaudio!" Judy sighed waving that pear shape stone on her finger around like a kid with a flag on the fourth of July, too excited for words. I only chuckled into my straw and sipped my ice tea down to the bottom, I then snapped my fingers towards Rich jokingly. "Cabana boy!" I called.

Rich, being the southern gentlemen that he was had made it a goal of his to be a slave to anyone in the wedding party, and I milked out every second of that. "Have you started your thank you notes yet?" I questioned leaning on my hand as my drink was refilled.

"No." Judy answered before her eyes got big. "Should I have?"

I shake my head. "Nah, its just that Nicki and I did more of a fill in the blank thing with ours." I reminisced with a smirk beginning to tug at the corners of my lips. "Dear blank thank you so much for coming to our wedding and blessing us with your presence we love the blank that you got us, it is so blank, we'll be sure to blank with it. Love and miss you. Mr. and Mrs. Massi."

Judy got a big smile on her face at this. "That's brilliant!"

I shrugged all cutesy like squinting my eyes. Suddenly a voice rang out from a view booths down. "I seriously do not remember signing up for the decoration committee alone!" it was Joycie standing barefoot on one of the tables staplin strands of white and yellow crepe paper to the walls.

I wrinkled my nose and leaned towards the side to face her. "You didn't! I made the mini horn a plenty center pieces for the table remember? With the pumpkins and stuff in them."

"Which are so cute by the way." Judy added touchin my arm warmly. Joyce chuckled as she rolled her eyes and went to the next booth. "Besides Joycie this is your duty as maid of honor, you should be joyous!" Judy giggled.

"I don't remember manual labor being part of the job description." She said under her breath and stapled some more. The diner had cleaned up real nice with linin table cloths, candles and new lamp shades. With two more staples she was done and joined us in the booth and Judy wrapped her arms around her and planted a playful kiss on her friend's cheek before squealing. "Mrs. Bob Gaudio can you believe it!"

Then Mary stumbles threw the door wobbly, fallin all over herself and snickering. The three of us exchanged looks and then anonymously decided that I would be the one to speak to her. I slip out of the booth and shuffled a few steps forward. "Mary." I started and after she stopped cackling like a hen she gave me her attention. "We sent you out for ice two hours ago-"

Mary juggled her head around ending with a hiccup. "Yeahh, so?" she slurred still clutching on to the door handle for dear life; lettin in the cold air from outside in the diner.

"So?" I repeat through clinched jaw. "So where the hell is the ice?"

"Whaat ice?" Mary asked.

I ran a frustrated hand down my face. "the ice I asked you to get from the store two fn hours ago, because the machine in the diner is actin up!"

After a moment of being dumbstruck she starts laughin again. "Did you check up your ass?" she starts howlin with laughter almost fallin on her face. I throw my hands up. "Useless! Absolutely fn useless!"

Mary then spotted Judy and ran over to her, cupping her face and squeezing her lips into fish lips. "Look at this bootyful bootyful bride!" she slurred. "you know I was a bootyful bride once too!" Judy only sat there uncomfortably taking Mary's drunken affection in her stride.

"Well." Joycie said pulling on her coat. "Looks like its maid of honor to the rescue again." She started to head out for the ice and ran into Frankie, who was comin in haulin his tux over one shoulder with his three little daughters behind him. "Hey Monterey where you off too?" Frankie greeted warmly.

"Ice run Crooner, the machine is being faulty." Joycie replied motioning her eyes towards Mary who was still harassing Judy. Frankie shook his head with distain. You see, when Frankie and the guys got back he had thought Mary was doing better with her drinkin; but the truth was she just hid it overly well. Frankie had some suspicions bout it, but he didn't wanna acknowledge it, didn't wanna make it real. But after some, a lot of hateful remarks and finding her stash in one of her perfume bottles with drugs to boot, Frankie filed for a legal separation. "An ice run huh?" Frankie repeated putting his suit on one of the tables and pickin up little Francine. "I'll go with you Monterey, we should split the bill on it anyway me being the best man and all. Come on kids, back in the car"

They went off; actually with her being the maid of honor and Frankie being the best man for Bobby they spent a lot of time together; mostly to get away from Mary, just like on high school science projects when they were young, the Monterey Crooner tag team. They even had this runnin joke that they were gonna skip down the aisle and sing Follow The Yellow Brick Road.

So anyway they leave and we get stuck babysittin glubba the drunken fish when all of a sudden Nick comes in all red faced and pointin at Chino who had the kids screamin "Fire him fire him fire him!" in front of everyone. So I pull my hot head husband into the back room and he says this.

"Margie!" I knew it was serous cause no one ever called me by that name. "I've had it with him! Him and his being rude to people just because I'm around or tryin to show me up around the kids. You know what he did- do you know what he did?"

I cross my arms and huff. "No but I'm sure your gonna tell me."

"He's wearin my shirt! He is fn wearin my shirt! He went in my closet, he's tryin to be me"

I laugh at the stupidity of this rubbin my temple. "Did it ever dawn on you Nick that other people can buy the same clothes?" I ask realistically.

"Nah-nah this has a little stain of pizza sauce on the right sleeve been there for years, quarter of an inch in the shape of a diamond! Go look."

So I do and its there. There is some- I don't wanna call it argument but discussion between me and Nick about how Chino had been causin a lotta rift between him and I and him and the kids and how his works skills were lacking and what not. Nicki felt like I was leadin Chino on or somethin and that maybe it was time to let him go…

So I talk to Chino and let him down easy; and um…he tells me that he loves me… and the kids…and it breaks my heart because I broke his heart; even though I never loved him that way, I loved Nick, I never could. And the next thing I knew he was marching off to Vietnam; so… everyday I live with that weighing on my shoulders that… I was part of a love triangle and a man went off to war because of it.

Love triangles are such heartbreaking bullshit…

**I had so much fun writing this! all the girls together and some history on the changing bass members! I am now on a new record of 108 pages! and I made some fan art too! so excited for November when the play comes to Sac and the movie comes out!**

**who's ready for another Judy chapter?! **


	22. Chapel of Love (Judy)

**Judy**

My wedding was the best wedding! Then again I'm biased! Bobby proposed over a quiet dinner on the rooftop of a hotel restaurant in downtown New York on a crisp May 8th night, with a string quartet playing The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore (which was Bobby's favorite songs that he himself wrote), and stars and candles and wine…ok so maybe it wasn't that quiet of a dinner! But he got down on one knee in front of the whole restaurant! He said to me. "Judy, you are truly my soul and my heart's inspiration." That's a quote from a Righteous Brother's song! Anyway, he then says. "You are so smart and the light of my life and I don't want to live another moment not calling you Mrs. Gaudio." He said a bunch of stuff after that, but I lost focus once he got down on one knee and showed me the two carrot white gold ring. I was so hysterically happy! My face was just a mess of tears and mascara.

I wasted no time in planning! I mean we had a date set and our wedding colors within 20 mins after he popped the question. And I recruited my bridesmaids the next day; Cynthia Massi because she loved me! Three friends from my pottery class, two girls from the studio and my distant cousin Lorraine from California was going to fly in.

We were so close when we were young; we only lived a few blocks away from each other and our moms used to visit each other for an hour every day and we would just have to sit in the other room and play quietly. She was so pretty and analytical and it was no wonder she became a journalist because she had talent like my Bobby had talent. It just poured out of her.

Anyway our wedding had sort of a thanksgivingy feel to it; for our rehearsal dinner we had baked chicken and gravy and stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie! It was so yummy. And we had sunflowers on or in everything. On the invitations, sunflower stamps for the invitations; our invitations and envelopes were actually free because my father in law worked for a paper company.

Imagine that a father that worked in a paper factory and a mother who was a publisher it seemed more than a fluke thing that he would be a genius in a trade that involved both paper and a form of publishing. The thing about Bobby was he, unlike the others; never thought of music as a career, it was fun for him, just like song writing was for me; it was what he loved, what I loved and now and forever we were going to share it.

He was just himself and I loved him. The invitations were such a joy to make; we kept goofing off and sticking stamps on each other! In fact I don't know how we got anything done we messed around so much.

Anyway sunflowers, sunflowers everywhere! Sunflower peddles scattered down the aisle! On the cake! Oh my god the cake! We must have had thousands and thousands of samples of cake during the time planning! We had a different cake from a different bakery almost every other day! Fruit cake, white cake, chocolate cake, angel food cake! I think I spent more time looking for a cake then I did looking for a dress. I think by the end of it all Bobby was sick of cake because he even took my hand at some point after and said "baby I will do anything for you but eat another piece of cake!"

I always loved when he would take my hand because it reminded me of our first date at the drive-in, we were having popcorn and our hand touched and then he tried to do that yawn thing to put his arm around me and I ducked down just to be cute and flirty! So amazing.

Anyway! The cake we decided on was two layers! A layer of darkish chocolate and a layer of vanilla with custard in the middle and buttercream icing which was absolutely delicious! Oh my God! People went back for seconds, no joke! We actually had to cut into the top tear!

And the reception was so much freaking fun! With the people that preformed! It was just perfect! I mean I could have got married in a barn as long as it was to Bobby I didn't care but still! Entertainment at a wedding in those days, pretty cool!

Ok so lets just go into a little more depth here. On the morning of November.11th 1964 I woke up at my apartment (not that I had slept that night) picked up my mother in Brunswick and went to the chapel.

It was going to be a 12:00 wedding so we and by we I mean Bob and I got into the church at 8:00 in the morning and got ready in the churches little side rooms. At about 8:05 the girls started filing in; first came Cynthia and Nick, I could hear her voice down the hall as I did my makeup, as always her and Nick were having a laughable conversation like any other **old** married couple..

"Get your hand out of the doughnut box tubbo." She warned slapping his hand away from the pink box she had resting in her arms. Nick looked down at her from over his nose with a "oh come on" expression dripping from his eyes and up turned lip. "You ate already! These are for the girls!"

They approached the door to the dressing room. "You know!" Nick countered bobbing his head around. "You are lucky you're pretty, cause you aren't very nice to me." At this Cynthia grabbed his gold tie with that cocky look on her face and brought his face inches from hers, her warm breath on his lips. "Shut up and plant one on me you big mook." And he did and then bid me and others hello before he went to find his seat.

I cocked an eyebrow playing at Cynthia as she mindfully unzipped her dress, she kept that firm tough girl persona as I mentioned that I hadn't seen them engage in an act of affection in a while. She replies. "Maybe you and Bobby are rubbin off on us." And then smirked. I had gotten to know her really well over getting ready for the wedding and I learnt that once her and Nick were pretty lovey. and I had hoped from their example Bob and I could have a love like theirs when and if the honeymoon faze ended.

Then as we were getting ready I heard another couple making their way the down hall; I knew by the unmistakable pitch that it was Frankie come in record time from the airport with my cousin Lorraine. It was a last minute best man errand we had asked him to run because in our wedding haze everyone had forgotten she was coming until an hour before her plane landed. Her and Frankie said goodbye and there was an obvious spark between them that neither could act on at the time. but that is a **new** story for another day.

Next to come were few girls I had gotten to know when I started getting into pottery to get my mind off Bob .Barbra, her sister Phillis and their friend Peggy; the first thing did when they saw me after they screamed with excitement was sing a few bars of the song till and pest me to ask Bobby about being an opening act for the Four Seasons. They called themselves the Angels, hoping to maybe **barrow** a moment of Bob's time at the reception.

So I was tying the silk ribbon to my tea-length, scooped neck, sleeveless, lacey, beaded dress in a bow! Getting ready to put my vail on at the vanity.

"I look like a banana in this dress." Said Cynthia through her lips looking at the drappy scoop back of her floor-length yellow gown. "Just slap a blue sticker on my boob and call me Chiquita."

Phillis glanced up from where she sat with a dumbstruck look marring her rounded face as she looked at Cynthia through strands of blonde hair. "Bananas are fruit… how can people look like fruit?" she asked in all seriousness.

Cynthia chuckled through a flared lip and leaned into Barbra who was the brunette of the group. "Backup singers huh." Cynthia joked sarcastically. Barbra or Babs as she was known only crinkled her nose and unintelligently said. "What about them?"

Stifling my laugh with my gloved fist I looked over to my cousin who was jotting stuff down on a note pad, never looking up she asked me when a good time would be to interview Frankie to which I said after things settled with him and Mary.

And then my very late maid of honor sashays her way in, bumping over Peggy who was putting white carnations into my French twist, taking over in her usual motherly busy bodyness way whenever something went wrong. "Sorry I'm late." She said softly, twisting a curl into my hair. "Papa Devito had a hard time picking a tie and Tommy's date…well she basically thinks she's Sophia Loren so her makeup took a while." She follows this up with a sigh with a face of full concentration as she worked another flower into my hair. "Typical Tommy."

I waited eagerly to hear that Oklahoma twang come down the hall to tell his date to slow down and wait for him. But none came. Joycie went about her business quickly and quietly putting on my vail and pouring me a quick glass of wine to calm my nerves before show time. Finally Cynthia asked. "Hey Joyce, wheres yippie ki ay ki o?"

Joyce faltered in one of her seamless movements and then cleared her throat to regain herself. "On the can most likely." She explained calmly hooking my pearl necklace. "Stomach bug."

My face dropped as I wheeled around on the vanity bench. "Your dateless!" I announced mortified, knowing from experience that being dateless at a wedding is possibly the worst feeling in the world, or one of.

She only smiled even though I knew she was **blue**, and patted my shoulders. "I am fine." She assured. "Today is about you and Bobby, not me." At that moment my dad was standing in the doorway and the world just seemed to drop away, telling me it was time.

As I walked down the aisle all I saw was Bob Gaudio, my Bob, the silence between us deafening as each step I took was closer to becoming man and wife. His face, his smile, his brown eyes reflecting my future; a future of endless happiness, of hope, of love. We recited our vows before God and those we loved to be of one life and one heart. He had tears of joy in his eyes, I had tears of joy in my eyes as all my dreams came true. He kissed my lips gently and I kissed him, my husband, knowing that this was just the beginning of happily ever after!

**wedding chapter! Joyce is up next!**

**hope you all enjoyed it!**


	23. This Magic Moment (Joyce)

**Joyce**

For me it was a season of magic moments! Judy was finally married. I had held up my end of the bargain and my heart couldn't have felt lighter, or happier, the sheer joy on her face, on both their faces during the entire evening was pure bliss to me. Seeing everyone dance together, seeing everyone happy… bliss, sheer and utter bliss.

After all was said and done. Bob took Judy's hand and stroked the emerald stone that now decorated her finger and I saw her breath hitch in her throat. "Well Mrs. Gaudio." He said in a heated breath. "Shall we go start our honeymoon?"

Judy nodded with a smile spreading from ear to ear. Bob's hand left hers airily as he promised her he would wait in the car. Her eyes excitedly flashed to Cynthia and I. she took both of our hands. "Well this is it!" she beamed, before her knees got visibly weak. "I am so nervous!"

"Don't be!" Cynthia promised slapping her on the shoulder. "After the first time its like a walk in the park. Good luck Parker" and with that she hugged Cynthia goodbye, with that deep caring that she had always shown me.

After that Judy and I walked down the reception hall steps to the car; I told her that I wasn't sure what I was going to do without her while her and Bobby were in L.A for three weeks but it made me so happy to see her so high on cloud nine. She was a beautiful bride who had a beautiful ceremony to a man I knew would take care of her.

When I walked back into the hall cleanup was being held as delicate crate paper was taken down from the walls and dishes were being picked up, lights dim, a smoke filled room from blown out candles and on the dance floor remained only one couple. Cynthia and Nick embracing each other fondly, like the old days. I watched them with a melancholy smile leaning against a banister. All was right with the world. Even the Valli family seemed to leave the wedding happy. In fact, with Papa Devito getting so much better and aside from Chino, it made me realize that I had nothing left on my plate but my own life… which made the question arise "Well Joyce Ann Giordano, whats next?"

The next day when I went to see my food poisoned southern friend and boss who was still laid out on his apartment sofa from leftover cong pow chicken he informed me that despite the couple of weeks I had taken helping papa Devito with the recovering from his stroke, I still had four weeks paid vacation days and suddenly it was mandatory that I take them! This only added to the strenuous question of what to do with myself.

Rich must have known what I was thinking. I was sitting on the edge of his sofa as he laid there with one hand on his stomach. "Maybe you can relax for a while." He coaxed and I laughed bitterly. "Me relax? Since when?"

Rich shrugged. There was a moment of silence as I crossed the room to look out the dirty screen window as dust particles swept in. I wondered how I would manage without anyone to mother. I felt like a mama bird with an empty nest. I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed deeply.

I heard Rich slowly sit himself up, his house slippers hitting the floor with a light thud and then shuffling to the door of the bedroom he said something that threw me for a loop. "I think sometimes you are pushy and nuttier than a fruit bat. I'm not even sure if you know how to lie down."

I blinked and wheeled around on my heels whether in shock or insult. I went to protest his statement that I was not pushy, but I only laughed at the first part of his statement. "Nuttier than a fruit bat? Where'd you get that Andy Griffith?"

Rich pouted, trying to pretend to be indignant as was our custom as friends who liked to bicker. "You're mean as a raddle snake too! Didn't even bring me a piece of cake!"

"With the way you've been throwing up! It would be wasted. Do I really need time off?"

He stopped and pointed a finger at me as if to reprimand me. "Now see here!" he started. "You are gonna take these here four weeks off and I don't want to hear one more peep about it! Go see kin or something."

"Kin?" I asked, Rich rolled his eyes.

"Kin! Your kin folk! Family-" he was going to saw more but another bout of barf overtook him and he was off back in the bathroom.

I don't know what it was that led me to that faithful brick building where everything had begun. I shivered remembering the first time I had stood on that step; a small town orphan girl from a two-bit cannery town in Monterey come to a foreign land of loud people and mobsters and hussle.

When the door opened she looked at me as if we had never met, the tailored cream pencil-skirt and jacket throwing her for a loop. I looked at her happily and said softly. "Hello godmother."

Gina was surprised to see me, she got a big smile on her face and put a hand on her hip above her pink apron spring. "Is it Wednesday already?" she asked; already the Italian spices from the kitchen came wafting out making my mouth water and my stomach rumble. It smelt like winter; warm food and hot chocolate. I looked at my godmother in front of me. A short lady; with hardened features somehow softened by age and no wrinkles from staying plumb. A wooden spoon always in her hand.

I clicked my tongue in my cheek. "I could smell the food from a mile away and couldn't stay away." I laughed embracing her quickly. When she pulled back she slapped my shoulder fondly with the back of her hand. "Look at you huh! This is a smart lookin girl we have here! But skinny! You're nothin but bones! Come in and eat!"

She walked me in, in the hall were many pictures of relatives of theirs and friends including my father; I smiled seeing him looking back at me even through a picture, he was leaning against a car as always, daddy was always around one car or another.

Gina announced me to my godfather who was planted before the television set watching Lawrence Welk, I kissed his temple and he grabbed my arm to ask me. "When are you gonna marry the Devito boy? He is a nice, good Italian boy, when you gonna marry him?"

It was a standard question of my godfather's ever since Tommy became famous with Sherry "when was I going to marry that nice famous Italian boy?" and papa Devito once in a while even ventured to ask when I was going to marry his son and give him grandchildren. To which Cynthia, Judy, Mama Devito or anybody else who was around would cringe.

Gina sat me down at the table, setting steamy bread before me asking me why I wasn't there on my usual night, since normally I was only at their place for dinner only one night a week. I told her since they were moving to Florida in three months and I had the four weeks of vacation I wanted to stay with them and help pack and make up for the time I had lost with her and my godfather when I had decided to live with Cynthia and Nick and then with Judy.

She had wanted to be a mother so badly, she tried so hard to be a mother to me when I had first come there, a suburban mother. She almost studied what to do from television shows and radio shows and articles. She tried never to cuss, playing bridge with me, buying me a whole closet of frilly clothes that she couldn't afford against my godfather's wishes; even piano lessons. But I wanted nothing to do with it. Too young to see her intent, too grief stricken to let her in and too stupid to stay put.

I wanted to make up that lost time so I moved back home, even letting myself call Gina mom once in a while. And I also found myself.

It was so foreign to me not adorning myself in my uniform and apron. The little blue dress just hung there before my eyes as I dressed myself in smart, tailored skirt and jacket with actual pearls. Actually taking the time to put on makeup with effort and purpose. Wearing heels and gloves and earrings and silk stockings! And yet with all these things I had never felt more naked, it was an uncertain feeling but good too.

I lunched with Mama Devito, Gina and Cynthia often. Cynthia was glad for the empty room in her house and the fact that I still babysat just as often. She was also glad that I finally took the drive to sign up for some light math classes at the community college in Belleville instead of just telling her NYU to shut her up.

Judy called me almost every night with details from her Disneyland honeymoon and I bask in the joy of her voice, care-free and happy!

"Do you know how hard it is to wake up and look cute?" Judy nearly growled into the receiver. "I mean I get up; do my hair, do my makeup and brush my teeth just to get back into bed so Bob can wake up to a pretty face, then I shower and do it all over again."

I laughed sitting on my knees on the edge of my bed shaking a bottle of clear nail polish with my free hand. "Sounds counterproductive if you ask me Judy." I chuckle.

"It is!" she sighs. "But I love it though! I love how he snores, I love how he eats, I love how he sleeps." She pauses and lowers her voice scandalously. "I love how he can't keep his hands off me!"

"Judy!" I scowled teasingly.

"What its true!" she giggles and then her tone becomes serious. "Its nice to be in love Joyce, its good to need someone…. And now that I have Bob…" I knew where she was getting at.

I inhaled a breath. "I don't really think that's in the cards for me Judy." I state simply. Judy is silent and in her silence I can hear her fidget, after a moment she decides not to press the matter any further

"Alright Joyce, but when I get back I'm setting you up! With someone like Rich maybe!"

At this I laugh. "Goodnight Mrs. Gaudio." I almost warn before laughing and hanging up.

I rolled onto my side and looked out the small window daydreaming; someone like Rich she had said, not only she but every other logically friend I had. And why not? Rich was a sensible guy, with Sothern manors, charm and intelligence, who I knew if given the chance would never hurt me, drive me up a wall with how slow he is but at least a guy like him would be consistent. If not Rich there were always other nice, quiet men out there.. So what was stopping me? Why didn't I want anyone?

The next day I was coming out of the book shop with some books and pamphlets for school, walking down the street looking at how the sun reflected off of the light dusting of snow when I bumped into someone. We both bent down for the scattered papers and muttered soft apologies when I met his eyes.

"Tommy?" I said with a surprised smile. He blinked and then that overwhelmingly straight smile played on his lips. "Say ain't you that doll from Monterey I've been hearin bout?" he joked and I laughed at the reference to our first meeting.

"Nope." I chuckled straightening and standing. "Haven't you heard? I'm a full blown Jersey girl now" he stood too handing me some books. "Then you might wanna work on that accent baby doll." He patted my cheek playfully.

We talked for a moment; after the reception Tommy took off for Atlantic City for a few weeks to gamble among other things. He had just gotten back, broke and was now trying to get another job from Gyp on top of working solo or with Frankie and Joe in local areas. He said it was all a waiting game until Bob got back and The Seasons could record again and plan tour number two. When I told him that I was on vacation and that I was going back to school to try and become a career girl his face dropped.

"You mean one of those stuffy girls who works in an office?" he asked I shook my head in assurance. "Not just any office, the diner office. When I become manager, if I become manager I want to be the best I can be and besides I'm learning new tricks on how to keep the books, meeting new people, trying new things. Just the other day I went to the lake with some friends and did a flip into the water, it was freezing ass cold but it was worth it."

He chuckled with a glint in his eyes. "Look at you Joycie, look at you and Frankie! The way you both have grown. You don't need me around anymore."

I blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, I had sympathy for what he had said and the look in his stormy blue eyes. I also felt guilty because to be honest I hadn't thought about him when he was gone. We hadn't mentioned anything to each other about the kiss, and we only started talking again the day before the wedding….so this was interesting, it was like I had blocked him from my mind up until this very moment. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure that's not true Tommy." He looked down at my hand and I withdrew, clearing my throat uneasily.. "Well I don't want to bore you anymore Tommy, I should really be going."

"You never bore me Joyce." He states firmly as I start to walk away, I pause in my step, seeing my breath on the cold wind, my free hand hanging limply at my side suddenly incased by the warmth of his hand….we went to get an orange soda.

Things went back to the way they were with us; bowling, going to strands, standing by his car and talking, taking him lunch from the diner to whatever construction site he was working at, only this time there was one slight difference…

**here's joycie! I love how this came out and the cliffhanger, I feel like this is like kind of the middle of the story! I thought thias magic moment from dirty dancing would be prefect since magic was the title of my first chapter anyway, I miss hearing from you guys and I hope everything is well.**

**Cynthia or judy next?**

**please review**


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